A few moments later, I stood peering up at my door as the petite brunette appeared. I walked over to my newest client, sticking out my hand to shake hers in greeting. “Mrs. Wyatt, come in and have a seat,” I offered.
“Please, call me Michele.”
I nodded. “Michele it is. According to my assistant, you’ve been married for six years, have two children, ages four and two, and you want a divorce,” I stated, as I sifted through the papers in the file.
“Yes, that’s right,” she nodded. “And I don’t want anyone else to handle my divorce. I’ve read about your records in Los Angeles, and you’ve handled some divorces and custody issues for big-name clients.”
I nodded, liking that she’d done her research. I perched my elbows on my desk and leaned in so Michele would understand the gravity of what I was about to tell her. “I’m glad you’ve done your research on me. You should know I work like a dog for every single one of my clients, high profile or not. However, I want to warn you, a divorce like yours will not be easy. Your husband is a very highly and respected man in this city. Hell, his face is on the billboard right behind me.” I paused as Michele glanced over my shoulder out my office’s floor-to-ceiling window. I’m sure she easily spotted the huge billboard with Jacob Wyatt dressed in his Houston Stallions uniform, posing as if about to throw the football like the star quarterback he was.
“I’m well aware,” she stated, and her eyes shifted back to me with a look of desperation in them. “But I want out, and considering who my husband’s lawyers are, I need someone in my corner with a reputation like yours.”
“Who has your husband obtained as his attorney?”
“A division of his entertainment law firm,Combs & Combs.”
I cut my eyes toward the corner of the room, cursing under my breath. I should’ve known it. A top athlete like Jacob Wyatt would no doubt have the best of the best at his service.
“Is that a problem?” she asked worriedly.
I shook my head. “Not for me, but I should inform you that Elliott and Jason Combs are my father and brother.”
Her dark brows raised in confusion. “Elliott Combs is your father?”
I nodded solemnly. “Yes, but that does not prohibit me from taking you on as a client. I’d never violate our attorney-client privilege,” I assured.
She waved her hand. “I was just confused because of your last name...” she trailed off.
“Yes, I go by my mother’s maiden name.”
“Oh,” Michele said, nodding as if she understood there was more to the story.
“If you’re concerned about my relation to them, know that I would never violate—” I halted when she held up a hand.
“Ms. Richards, as I’ve stated, I checked your records, and I’ve spoken to some of your former clients. You’re very good at what you do, and more importantly, you care about your clients, not just about the money. I need that right now. I know this won’t be easy. I know my husband will try to fight me every step of the way and hold our children over my head to do it. He has an army over there, and I need someone just as committed. You being Elliott Combs’ daughter makes me even more certain. I’ve seen both your father and brother in action, and if you’ve got half the same chutzpah, we’re going to be all right,” she grinned.
“Then it looks like you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get down to business, shall we?” I spent the next hour going over in detail Michele’s reasons for wanting a divorce. She discussed the time apart due to his busy schedule, which was normal for a professional athlete. She went on to discuss how she’d caught him having numerous affairs over the course of their marriage. Luckily for me, she’d even hired a private investigator to demonstrate proof of his infidelity. I took the PI’s information from her to contact him later. Michele stated they already lived separate lives as of the last six months, although they weren’t legally separated. Despite her being forthcoming on some of the details, I knew there was more Michele was holding back. When she discussed her husband, there was a look of fear that rose up in her eyes which, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t hide. Not from me, at least. I’d seen that look too many times, sometimes when I looked in the mirror.
“Michele, I’m going to ask a serious question, and Ineedyour complete honesty. Remember, nothing you tell me goes beyond me if you don’t want it to, all right?” I waited for her to nod.
“Has your husband ever been abusive to you?”
I didn’t need to hear her answer. The way her eyes began to water, and she began shaking her left leg, told me everything I needed to know. I grabbed the box of tissues from my desk and handed it to her. “We’re going to get you through this, okay, Michele?” I assured her, knowing that this divorce just got a lot more complicated.
****
By the time I left my office that evening, it was well after seven o’clock. I’d spent another two hours discussing the next steps of the process with Michele. I had my work cut out for me with this case. In addition to that, I had three other ongoing divorces and one custody case I was handling at present. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby of the downtown office building that housed the law firm I worked for. I’d begun dreaming about the bottle of Pinot Noir I had waiting for me at home.
“Chanel?”
I started looking around the lobby to see who called my name, but I should’ve already known who it was when goosebumps formed along my skin. That voice, smooth as silk, always elicited the same reaction.
“Xavier,” I greeted, doing my best to ignore the breathless quality my voice had taken on. “What are you doing here so late?” It was close to eight o’clock, and most of the offices here had closed hours ago.
“I had a meeting that ran over.”
I stared at Xavier, mesmerized by his coffee brown eyes, which held such intensity. I allowed my gaze to skim down his body to find his six-feet-one-inch frame draped in a well-tailored dark brown suit. The man looked like walking sin with his slightly pigeon-toed strut as he came toward me.Men like this really shouldn’t be allowed out after five o’clock,I thought, not for the first time.
“What are you doing here?” he countered.
