Chapter 3
Chapter Three
The Ivy on North Robertson Boulevard was doing brisk business when Ernie dropped Julian at the curb. He spotted Cresley at one of the patio tables, under an umbrella. She was working in the area and had asked to meet him there.
“My client is already here,” he told the ma?tre d’.
“Have a nice lunch, Mr. Remington.”
He was a regular there, so they all knew him, and everyone in the place certainly recognized Cresley, a stunning blonde Southern California beauty who’d become an internationally known supermodel at twenty. Ten years later, her career was hotter than ever.
“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting for long,” Julian said when he sat across from her and extended a hand. “Julian Remington. Nice to meet you.”
“I just got here myself.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for making the time.”
“Of course.”
Before he could say anything else, a waiter appeared to tell them about the eggplant pizza special and a goat cheese appetizer.
“What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll do sparkling water with lemon, please,” Cresley said.
“Same for me.”
“Be right back with your drinks.”
“What looks good to you?” Julian asked as they looked at menus.
“That eggplant pizza has my name all over it.”
“You want to split it?”
“That’d be great. With a salad?”
“You got it.”
They put aside their menus.
“So what can I do for you?”
“As I mentioned when I called, I have a seven-year-old son named Ty.” She smiled as she pulled up a photo on her phone of a blond child as gorgeous as his mother. “The undisputed love of my life.”
“He’s adorable.”
“He’s perfect in every possible way, and I want to keep him that way by not letting his deadbeat father anywhere near him.”
“From what I’ve read, you’ve been a single mom from the start and won a custody battle with your ex-boyfriend when your son was a baby. You have sole custody, correct?”
“That’s right, but he’s recently slithered out from under his rock and is making noise about having a relationship with Ty. That’s the last thing in the world I want for my son.”
The waiter brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.
“We’ll do the eggplant pizza special and the main course salad to share,” Cresley said.
“Coming right up.”
Julian had pulled a small yellow notebook and a pen from the pocket inside his suit coat. “Tell me about the ex,” he said after the waiter left.
Her deep sigh set the tone. “His name is Marlon Beckett, and he’s also a model, although his career hasn’t really taken off the way he expected it to, and honestly? I think his newfound interest in Ty is more about money than anything else.”
“Does he have another job besides modeling?”
“Not that I know of. When we were briefly together, his philosophy was to spend all his free time keeping himself in shape and ready for any jobs that came along. Which meant he didn’t have the second job to pay the bills everyone else has at the beginning.”
“What’s his relationship been with Ty since he was born?”
“Nearly nonexistent. Every year or two, he sends him something cool, usually the current ‘it’ thing. The most recent gift was a drone. Of course, Ty was thrilled with it, and I was furious because I had to figure out how to fly a drone when I had a million other things going on. That’s how he rolls.
He pops in with some grand gesture that thrills Ty, and then we don’t hear from him again for ages. ”
“Does he pay child support?”
Cresley snorted with laughter. “Rarely. And when he does, it’s just enough to keep himself from getting arrested.”
The waiter returned with their pizza and salad. “Can I get you anything else?”
“I’m good,” Cresley said.
“Me, too. Thanks.”
“Enjoy.”
They helped themselves to salad and slices of pizza.
While Julian dug into his food, Cresley picked at hers.
“What’s happened recently to put you on alert?” Julian asked between bites.
“It was something he said in a text.” She picked up her phone, found the text and handed it to him.
I want to see more of Ty, Marlon had written. Before you say no, ask yourself if there are things you wouldn’t want made public, things that might embarrass you—and Ty—or if it would be easier to just let me see him once in a while or maybe even share custody.
The text had Julian putting down his fork and wiping his mouth with the linen napkin. “What’s he got on you?”
Her lovely light brown eyes filled with tears. “I’m a… um… a member at Club Quantum.”
The club, owned by the actors, director and producer behind Quantum Productions, including Aimee’s superstar brother, Flynn Godfrey, was for practitioners of the BDSM lifestyle. Julian had spent some memorable evenings there himself, but not recently.
“How does Marlon know that?”
“He must’ve followed me and saw me go into the building. I’m not really sure how he found out what goes on there, but he knows.”
“When were you last there?”
“About three weeks ago.”
“How often do you stop by?”
“A few times a year. It’s a stress reliever, and it gives me an outlet without all the hassle that comes with relationships.”
“You don’t have to justify it to me,” he said with a grin. “I used to love hanging out there. I go way back with Flynn’s family.”
All the way back to when I used to be in love with his older sister…
“It’s hard to explain to people who don’t get it,” she said.
“Believe me, I know. They think it’s something sick or twisted, when it’s one of the healthier ways to express yourself sexually.”
“Exactly! There’s no crap like there always is in vanilla relationships.”
“I love that about it. In fact, the crap has been piling up lately. I might need to go back to the lifestyle and take a break from the madness.”
“I totally get that, and it helps that you understand.”
“I really do.”
“Marlon certainly knows there’s nothing wrong with being a practitioner of the lifestyle, but he’s also fully aware that it’d be embarrassing for me to be outed.
I’ve just signed a big new deal with D&G, which includes an airtight morality clause, so this is the last freaking thing I need right now.
Not to mention it breaks my heart that he’s probably more interested in money than he is in his amazing, beautiful, bright, funny son. ”
She used her napkin to dab at tears that seemed to infuriate her. “I need him to go the hell away, even if it means paying him off.”
“I don’t recommend that, unless it includes an ironclad NDA and a signed agreement indicating it’s a one-time payment in exchange for him keeping his mouth shut about you and his son, and never again asking you for anything.”
“To be honest, I might consider that to be rid of him.”
“Do you have a number for him?”
She used her phone to find it.
Julian wrote it down as she recited it.
“I only have it because everything I read when Ty was first born said it was in his best interest to keep his father in his life, even if the contact was limited. He’s never heard me say a bad word about Marlon. I figured over time he’d get the picture without me having to draw it for him.”
“He will. They always do.”
“He’s already putting the pieces together.”
“Kids don’t miss much.”
She smiled. “He misses nothing.”
“I’ll see what I can do to make this go away for you.”
“Thank you. My friend Marlene said you’re the best.”
“Marlene Powers?”
“Yes. We’re best friends.”
“She’s awesome. How’s she doing?”
“She’s started dating again, and that’s been amusing. She’s so out of practice that she has no idea what to say to anyone.”
Julian laughed at the funny face she made. “It’s tough out there.”
“Don’t I know it! I’ve basically given up on finding someone.”
“That’s usually when it happens.”
“What’s your story?” she asked with a coy look that might’ve turned to interest if he’d encouraged it, which he never would. Not with a client. “Marlene said you’re an international man of mystery.”
He laughed. “Hardly. I’m stubbornly single and planning to stay that way.” Not even a supermodel of her caliber could tempt him to change his life rules.
“Is that because of the drama and mess you see in your work?”
“Partially.” She didn’t need to hear about the ten-year custody battle, although it wouldn’t take her long to find out about that if she went looking.
“People don’t realize what a nightmare it can be until they’ve decided to end their marriage, divide their assets and fight over what’s best for their kids. ”
“I had a front-row seat to Marlene’s divorce.” She shuddered. “If that didn’t cure me from ever wanting to be married, nothing will.”
“That was a tough one for sure.”
“Do you wonder why people bother to get married?”
“Every single day. I feel like it should be a requirement that they have to read the California divorce laws before they can get a marriage license.”
“That’d be something.”
“I wish I had a dollar for every client who’s told me that if they’d known what would be involved in getting divorced, they never would’ve gotten married.”
“I bet you’re popular at cocktail parties.”
Julian laughed—hard. “I’m a good time had by all.”
“Marlene told me about your parents. I’m sorry you guys went through that.”
Ah, so she did know their history. He shrugged as if it didn’t matter, as if it hadn’t dictated most of the big decisions he’d made for himself as an adult. “Ancient history now.”
“She said you and your siblings all work for one parent or the other. What’s that like after all the animosity?”
“It’s… interesting. For a time, I thought about going in a different direction, but the firm my grandfather started is legendary, and I would’ve been a fool to start from scratch somewhere else.
So I sucked it up and went to work for my old man.
It’s not without its challenges, but for the most part, he leaves us alone to run our practices as we see fit.
He nags us about stupid shit, such as the length of my brother Carson’s hair or my brother Jackson’s soul patch.
Don’t get him started on Griffin’s tattoos or Roman’s pierced ears. ”
“He’s old school,” she said, smiling.
“As old as it gets, but he’s a freaking rock star, so we put up with his nitpicking.”
“I see him on TV all the time.”
“He’s their first call when there’s a huge celebrity split and always has a great take on what’s ahead for the couple.”
“I’ve learned a lot from him about community property and other such things.”
“He’s a family law master class, and so is my mother, which is another reason why we all sucked it up and went to work for the family businesses. As much as we still resent them for what they put us through, we respect them both as the brilliant lawyers they are.”
“Do they speak to each other these days?”
“Just to say hello, most recently at my youngest sibling Roman’s college graduation a few years ago.”
“I can see why you’d want to avoid all that for yourself.”
“Yeah, it’s actually not that hard to stay above the romantic fray when you’ve come from what we did.”
“I really appreciate your time today. I feel better knowing you’ll be looking out for me and Ty.”
“I’ll do everything I can to help you. Did my assistant send over the retainer paperwork?”
“She did, and I sent it back an hour before our lunch.”
Julian reached for the check that the waiter had left on the table. “Great, thanks. I’ll keep you posted on any developments.”
“Let me get this,” she said.
“No way. It’s on me. Clients don’t pay. Well… for lunch, that is.”
He was glad to leave her laughing after a tough conversation about protecting the person she loved best—not to mention her own reputation.
It burned his ass the way people tried to make a consensual sexual relationship into something deviant just because the concept was unfamiliar to them.
He’d always believed that if more people participated in the BDSM lifestyle and all the incredible communication that went with it, there might be fewer divorces.
He texted Ernie for a ride back to “home base,” as they referred to the office. His faithful driver came around the corner five minutes later in one of the black Mercedes sedans the firm provided to transport them around the famously congested city during the workday.
Julian slid into the back seat.
“Tell me everything about the lunch with the supermodel,” Ernie said as he headed toward Beverly Boulevard. He was obsessed with all things celebrity. “Don’t leave anything out.”
Julian chuckled at Ernie’s shamelessness. “Just another day at the office, my friend.”
“Sure it was. Spill the deets, man. I’m living vicariously.”
“The deets are that she’s a really nice person, concerned about her kid, the way most mothers are, and in need of a little legal help.”
“What’s the issue?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“I keep all your secrets, Counselor. Going on ten years now.”
“I’d trust you with my life, Ernie, but some things are too personal to share even with you.”
“Sounds juicy.”
“Nah, just another client with problems she needs me to solve.”
“You’re absolutely no fun today.”
Julian smiled as he looked up from a review of his notes from the meeting with Cresley. He’d make a call to Marlon when he got back to the office to get the ball rolling toward making him go away. “It’s been a day and a half, and it’s not over yet.”
“Heard about Stacey the smokeshow storming the office.”
“Yeah, that was fun.”
“I assume that didn’t do much to advance her cause.”
“Nothing at all. I believe she’s now clear on where we stand, which is over and done with.”
“You need to find yourself a nice girl to settle down with. Have a couple of kids and a white picket fence. A dog would be good, too.”
“Sometimes I feel like you don’t know me at all, Ernie.”
The older man’s guffaw made Julian smile. The time in the car with Ernie was always a highlight of days that were often full of lowlights.