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.”
6
WORKING OUT THE DETAILS
REN
I've been sittingin Jack's LA office for an hour, listening to him rant about that no-good, sneaky, conniving, underhanded, pain in the ass, Penny Wolf.
Every time he begins to calm down, he glances at a new page of the preliminary agreement she sent over and his tirade begins again.
Because, apparently, both of those women are obviously taking the piss out of an agreement that should have been cut and dry, done and dusted.
So far, most of what he's complained about hasn't appeared too egregious to me, but in his words, that's because ‘I’m too blinded by the pussy’ to be able to see exactly what they're trying to pull over on me.
While I strongly disagree that I'm blinded by anything, this is why he gets paid the big bucks. To strike me the best possible deal to suit my best interests.
He's about five minutes into his current tantrum about our living arrangements when I interrupt, "Jack. I don't care where I live."
Jack stops talking abruptly, his eyes narrowing as he responds, "Yes, you do."
I raise my hands dismissively. "But I really don't. I'm hardly ever there as it is."
His narrowed eyes turned into a full-on glare. "Well, I'm here to care for you."
Sighing, I shrug, not at all convinced that it's an important matter but happy to allow him to do whatever he wants. I open my mouth to say as much, but then he jumps to his feet, shoving the paper across the desk, pointing at it violently as he says, "Did you see the part about the timeline here? They’re trying to milk more time from you than originally agreed upon."
I glance down at the page, noting the many slashes and circles of red all across the words. At first glance it does seem alarming, so I slide the papers closer, reading the full paragraph before shaking my head. "They're not trying to sneak anything, Jack."
"How can you say that? She said quite clearly in her initial proposal that this arrangement was supposed to be over after a year, but this new wording could easily bleed this into two or three years."
Huffing out a breath, I sit back in my chair. "But it's more of an offer than a stipulation. Even if it remains in the agreement, I'm still welcome to end the arrangement any time after the aforementioned timeframe.”
Jack eyes me suspiciously, as if my interpretation of the paragraph is something he has to worry about. He snatches the paper off the desk, sitting heavily in his chair as he appears to read that paragraph over and over. After a few moments, he sets the paper back on the desk in front of him and asks, "But why?"
"Oh, Jack," I respond dryly. "I know you're not a family man or anything, but let's not forget the child that stems from this agreement will be mine. She was allowing me a generous leeway so I'm able to establish a strong foundation with said child."
He makes a face and then says, "You're right, I had forgotten. But since that's the case, we can swap this around into so much stronger language to ensure your parental rights are not impeded on."
I shake my head. "I don't think that's necessary. Even with it worded as such, if she wanted to make any definitive changes to my parental status, she'd have to take me back to court. This current wording is just fine."
Jack gives me a look that screams disgust. "Come on, Ren. You've got to give me something."
"Don't worry, Jack,” I respond with a smirk. “I have a few counter demands up my sleeve that I prefer to bring up in person."
Jack's eyes light up and he leans closer, obviously interested in what I'm going to say. "Please tell me more."
I open my mouth to reply just as Jack's receptionist buzzes, letting us know that Penny and Cassidy have arrived. Jack instructs her to take them to the conference room. He walks around his desk motioning for me to precede him to the door, but then he jumps in front of me, his hand on the doorknob as he says, "Remember, Ren. No mercy."
