“Mr. Carlton wants you to sit in on a deposition at 11,” she told him, shamelessly leaning over his desk. She had to know that her very low-cut blouse was not securing her massive tits.
Janice was a paralegal and assistant to Andrew Hamlin, the senior partner he was assigned to. She’d been aggressively hitting on him since he started his internship.
“Thanks,” Joseph responded. He dipped his head back into the legal briefs and avoided Janice’s anything but subtle advances.
Her words came out breathy. “Well, if you need anything at all, you just let me know.”
“I’m good, thanks,” Joseph assured her without looking up.
Seconds after Janice left, one of the firm’s receptionists entered. “Joseph, there’s a man with your face waiting for you in the lobby.”
Joseph looked up and laughed. “Send him back, please.”
“Will do.”
She left and a few minutes later, his brother walked in. “What’s up, bro?” Joseph greeted.
“I need two thousand dollars,” Jonathan blurted unceremoniously.
Joseph dropped his pen and looked up at his brother. “What?”
“I need two grand, bro.”
Joseph felt his face twist into a frown. “Why do you need that much money? Are you in trouble?”
Jonathan blew out a frustrated breath. “Of course not. Am I ever in trouble?”
Joseph leaned back in his chair and waited for his brother to explain his reasons for needing such a large sum of money.
Jonathan sighed and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk. “There’s this company called Microsoft. Rumor is, they’re about to merge with IBM. I’m gonna make an investment for both of us.”
Joseph chuckled. “No way, man.”
Two thousand dollars didn’t come easy for him. His job at Ford and his internship barely allowed for dinner and a movie after he paid for school and rent. He wasn’t about to invest the little money he’d saved into some unknown company.
Jonathan leaned over his desk and gave him a stern look. “Joe, this is a sure thing.”
Joseph shook his head. “It’s the stock market,” he scoffed.
“Bro, you know me better than anyone. Is that not so?”
“That is so,” Joseph admitted.
“Have I ever been known to be impulsive or irresponsible?”
Joseph didn’t answer because Jonathan already knew his answer. Like Joseph, his twin was responsible and driven. Both were determined to give their mom a better life. If his twin wanted his money, he would certainly invest it in something that he truly believed in.
“That’s a lot of money, Jon,” Joseph pointed out with a sigh.
“I know. I just need you to trust me.”
Jonathan had a passion for business, and he was super sharp. If Joseph were to trust anyone with his money, it would be the brilliant man with which he’d shared their mother’s womb.
Joseph dropped his head in his hands and pushed his fingers through his hair.
“Trust me,” Jonathan asserted.
Joseph nodded and grabbed his briefcase from the floor. He opened it and pulled out his checkbook. He wrote the check and handed it over. To say he was reluctant would’ve been an understatement. He didn’t have a lot of money, and no matter how brilliant, his brother was placing a bet on the stock market, and the stock market was anything but a sure thing.
