4. Michael
Chapter 4
Michael
I pause as I get to the door.
“Is there something wrong?” Peter asks.
“I’m not sure.”
“Brenda stepped out to grab lunch if you were wondering,” he says.
“Oh yeah, I think she did tell me that,” I scratch my head.
Peter pats my back. “You have a lot on your mind. That’s why I’m here. I got your back.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
He pushes the door open, and I walk in. But as I do, the feeling that something is off doesn’t leave me. I take a quick look around the office, but nothing seems out of place, so I let it go.
I head over to my chair as Peter takes the one in front of my desk.
“Congratulations on your promotion,” I say. “You worked hard for it.”
“I don’t know,” he replies. “I joined the firm less than a year ago.”
“And you’ve done tremendous work for us since then. You’ve also worked for another firm, and I’m sure if you’d stayed there they would have made you a partner.”
He shakes his head.
“I couldn’t have stayed there. My father’s friend owns that firm. It would have been interpreted as him being biased. He’s done enough for me already and I didn’t want anyone thinking that he was pulling strings for me. I want it known that I earned it.”
“Well,” I spread out my arms. “No one is going to think that way here. You’ve won all the cases that have come across your desk and have gotten lots of new clients.”
“They were all settled out of court.”
I frown. “A win is a win.”
I don’t understand why Peter is bent on downplaying his accomplishments when his billings are outstanding. And he’s not usually this…humble.
“Is anything going on with you?” I ask. “And I’m not asking as your boss. I’m asking as your friend.”
He sighs.
“I don’t know. My stepsister started working here a couple of weeks ago.”
My eyes widen. “Your sister? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she would rather no one know that we’re related. Let’s just say that we didn’t get along growing up,” he explains.
Being an only child, I can’t say I relate. But if Peter’s stepsister works for me, then I want to know who she is.
“Alright. But who is she? What’s her name? Which department does she work in?”
“She’s a paralegal,” he replies. “Her name is Savannah Richmond.”
What the—hell?
I clear my throat. “Savannah Richmond. Huh.”
“Have you met her?” He asks.
“No, I don’t think so. I barely have time to get together with you. But I’ll keep the name in mind in case I run into her.”
“You might, sooner than later. She’s a damn good researcher, although she’ll never believe it if it comes from me.”
Sure.
“But you two are different, I assume. Personality wise?”
“Yes, we are. Very much so.”
Of course. They would be as different as the two sides of a coin. Peter is the kind of person you’d want to hang around because he’s witty and smart and always has something interesting to talk about, while Savannah…seems angry and abrasive. The opposite of easygoing.
She’s manipulative and gets in your head. One minute, I’m seated behind my desk, and the next I’m losing my temper. One minute, I’m walking into a conference room, and the next I’m in a silent war, and I end up doing what she thinks I can’t do. Ugh! She infuriating.
Some twisted form of reverse psychology.
I frown as the last thought echoes in my head.
“Was that what she was doing?”
“What?”
I shake my head. “No. Nothing. Just a thought.”
Was she playing a trick on me? Damn it, Savannah.
I kick my leg forward to express my frustration, but the tip of my shoe touches something soft.
What is that? I frown and swing my foot again, and the same thing happens. Am I imagining it, or is there something under my desk?
“I don’t need an office by the window, though,” Peter says.
“Why?” I ask. “You talked about it the last time we met, and I said if you handled the Humberger case and reached a settlement, you’d get it in addition to being named partner.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I know.”
Out of habit, I swing my legs again, and this time, both feet come in contact with something again. Curious and a little paranoid, I quickly look under the desk. I see the outline of something that startles me.
“Is there anything wrong?” Peter asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
In case I’m just seeing things, it’s best to keep what I think I’ve seen to myself. I don’t need anyone thinking I’m losing my marbles.
“There’s a new case on the table,” I say, getting up and heading to my bookshelf. I pull out a document file, “it’s right up your alley.”
“You’ll meet with the client—he’s a little hard to deal with and requires special attention—and let me know how it goes after you meet with him,” I say, handing him the file.
“If a little hard to handle is the only problem, then I think I’ll be fine,” he says.
“What do you mean?” I ask, with a smile on my face, knowing quite well what he means.
Peter shrugs, the corner of his lips slightly turned upward. “Nothing. I will get it done.”
“Alright then,” I say, placing my hand on the desk.
My finger knocks my pen off the desk, and it falls to the floor, I purposely kick it under the desk. I bend over to pick it up, and my eyes meet another pair of eyes—wide eyes, and I gasp.
“What the—"
A finger raises to shush me.
“Don’t say anything,” she mouths.
For some reason, it silences me. Although I’m baffled as to why Savannah Richmond is under my desk. Slowly, I stand up and then immediately sit down.
“Seems straightforward,” Peter says, looking up from the file. “Like I said, I’ll take care of it. You can count on me.”
I smile, but it is forced. Because my mind is under the desk, thinking of Savannah and wondering what the hell she’s doing under there.
“Why don’t we continue this conversation later?” I say after a few seconds. “I’m sure you’re eager to get to it.”
Peter nods and gets up. “You know it. Thank you, again.”
I shake my head, standing up. “You deserve it.”
I follow him to the door, exchange a few more words, and watch him walk away. Brenda appears as I’m about to close the door.
“Postpone whatever calls or meetings I have for thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Exhaling, I shut the door. Then, I turn to face my desk.
“Come out, Miss Richmond,” I say sternly.
Nothing.
“If you don’t come out, I will call security and have you arrested for trespassing. And if anything goes missing in my office, I will come find you. There is security footage of you entering my office, so all I’ll need to do is—”
“I didn’t take anything!” She exclaims.
I watch her struggle to come out, and I sigh as she hits her head on the desk as she emerges.
Savannah stands up straight, rubbing her head.
“I didn’t take anything.”
“Then why are you here? In my office? Under my desk?”
“I came to see you. But you weren’t here, and neither was Brenda. So, I stepped into your office to look for you. I was going to leave when I didn’t find you, but then I heard you with Peter and I panicked. And I ducked under your desk—it was the only thing that came to mind.” She shrugs innocently as she says the words.
My eyes narrow and I smack my lips in doubt.
“I don’t believe you, Miss Richmond. And you know I have good cause for that. So, I need you to tell me what you—and please don’t say you mistook me for someone else—were looking for in my office.”
“Peter,” she says, thrusting her hands on her hips. “He doesn’t want to be partner, so why are you forcing it on him?”
“Who says I am?”
“I heard your conversation.”
“You were eavesdropping ? Well, I suppose you couldn’t help that, being under my desk” I say sarcastically.
“Yes, I heard your conversation, and I wouldn’t have eavesdropped if I had time to step out of your office before you arrived with him.”
Ah, I nod slowly. I see.
“There’s no love lost, is there?”
“What do you mean?”
“Between you two. You and Peter are stepsiblings. Although, from the way I see it, you’re the one with the problem. It seems like Peter thinks the world of you, and he wants me to see that too, while you—” I tutt, “you don’t.”
“Are you jealous of him?” I continue.
Her eyes flash with anger. “Why would I be jealous of him, I am just as good as he is. The only difference is that he’s got a law degree. I put in as much effort as he does, and I know the law almost as well. But I also know that he doesn’t deserve to be made partner.”
I feel a headache brewing, and my temper is close to boiling over.
“I can’t deal with whatever family drama you have, Miss Richmond. I suggest you settle it with Peter somewhere other than my office.” Trying not to lose my temper.
“Oh,” I snap my fingers, “while you’re at it, you should talk to your ex-fiancé too. I spoke with his lawyer, Shepherd, and it looks like he is hell-bent on getting his ring back.”
She marches towards me, and I stay in place, close to the door, wondering what she plans to do once she gets to me. For some reason, the stubborn tilt of her jaw and her stride do nothing but arouse amusement and curiosity in me.
It tempers my anger for the moment.
When she stops a few steps away, I feel a bit disappointed.
“I have spoken to Matthew Shepherd, and I will say the same to you, the only way Brandon has a chance of getting that ring back is if he tells everyone what he did that broke off our engagement.”
Why am I entertaining this? I don’t have time for this petty bullshit. I am a senior partner in one of the largest legal firms in the city. I handle clients every day who pay me a thousand dollars an hour.
But here I am, standing in front of a very pretty woman, who minutes ago was hiding under my desk! Now, I am discussing her relationship with her stepbrother and her asshole of an ex-fiancé. What the hell is going on here?!
“Peter’s your friend,” she goes on. “I get it. But it’s no excuse for preferential treatment. If he doesn’t want to be partner, if he doesn’t want the corner office, then give it to someone else who deserves it and appreciates it.”
“But,” she shrugs, “don’t take my word for it. Ask him. You know what you two are a lot alike, both want everyone to think you’re nice on the outside, but privately,” Savannah flashes her eyes, “it’s a whole different ball game.”
I take two steps forward, stopping only when I see the defiance in her eyes falter for a second.
“You’ve had terrible experiences with men, haven’t you? Was it your father? Did he like Peter more than you? Were you always in Peter’s shadow?”
“I was never in anyone’s shadow,” she snaps back with a growl.
Oh.
I hit a nerve, didn’t I? A smug smile spreads on my lips.
“Bingo!”
“Bingo?”
“I’ve found your button. That’s what bingo is for. So, now that we’ve figured out why we seem to have a problem every time we meet, I suggest you handle it somewhere other than my office.”
“If there is something that you need a lawyer for,” I add, tongue in cheek, “there are many to choose from down the hall. I have done all I can for you. Please stop trying to involve me in your family drama.”
“You—
“That’s it,” I stop her. “I will not allow you to take up any more of my time. Please get out of my office, Miss Richmond.”