Page 113 of Masters of Control

A knock on his open door made him look up. Zoey Addison, one of the firms founding partners, was standing there, and she raised her eyebrows at Freddy.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just…” He hesitated, then decided to go for it. Zoey was the kind of woman who made people quake in their boots, but she also had a heart of gold and a huge dose of empathy, especially for women in bad situations, which was how the firm had gotten started. “The other lawyer on the Alexander case… she wants to work with me and make things go smoothly, but her client is…”

“A complete and total jackass?” Zoey laughed at the expression on Freddy’s face. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her curse before. A slight sneer lifted her lip. “I’m familiar with Nicholas Alexander III. And his father. And the Donaldsons. That’s part of why I decided to give Mrs. Alexander to you instead of taking her on myself.”

“So, you can watch from afar as I take him apart?” he asked with amusement. Zoey’s dark eyes glinted, and she raised her hand to run it along her perfectly styled hair. With her Chanel suit, Jimmy Choo shoes, and two perfect strands of pearls around her neck, she looked exactly like what she was—a powerhouse.

“Perhaps. You are very good at what you do.” She smiled broadly. “I also had a feeling your personal aesthetic would offend his sensibilities.”

Freddy laughed.

“I noticed that. I’ll be wearing my best pink suit to the next meeting.” The one he normally reserved for friends’ events rather than work, but if Zoey was going to encourage him…

She snickered and nodded her head with approval.

“Perfect.” Her smile dimmed. “How is the lawyer working on his case? I heard through the grapevine that Donaldson chose her to make Alexander look better in the courtroom. Apparently, they think he’ll come off looking better if he’s using a black woman to represent him.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. She’s very good, but she also has ethics and is doing her best to keep him happy, while also keeping him in check.”

“Now that’s a heck of a balancing act.” Zoey looked at him contemplatively. “Would you recommend hiring her?”

“In a heartbeat,” he answered before he could think about it, but it was the truth. From everything he’d seen from the opposing side, Camille was conscientious, detail-oriented, and didn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of doing her job. She also had a staunch moral code she adhered to, no matter how her client pushed her to break it. He was sure Donaldson had probably pushed her to break it too. She bent, but she hadn’t snapped. Yet.

The urge to help her get out of that job had grown stronger with every day that passed, even though their relationship so far consisted entirely of texts.

“Interesting. We don’t have any openings,” Zoey replied, answering the question in his eyes. “But I was asked by a friend to keep my ear to the ground for promising, experienced lawyers who might want to make a change.”

“I’ll see if I can find a way to work it into the conversation.”

Giving him a piercing look, Zoey nodded thoughtfully and moved away from his doorway, leaving him with the uncomfortable feeling she’d gotten more out of what he hadn’t said than he had.

Camille

Julie: Want to come to Marquis with me this Friday night? Olivia and Luke are putting on a show.

Now that was tempting.

The door to her office opened, and she dropped the phone flat on her desk, feeling as if she’d been caught out doing something wrong as Donaldson Sr. strode into her office. Not that there was anything wrong with checking her phone. There wasn’t. Even if she wasn’t looking at work right now. She’d been working nonstop all morning. Yet she still felt guilty that her boss had walked in the exact moment that she wasn’t.

He eyed her as though he knew she’d been slacking, looking down his long nose at her.

“Good morning, Mr. Donaldson.” Camille got to her feet, smoothing down the plain black dress she was wearing. It hadn’t taken long to realize the firm preferred if everyone dressed as though they were on their way to a funeral. His eyes raked over her, as if trying to find fault with her attire, though she told herself she was reading too much into things. “What can do I for you?”

“Camille. How is everything going with Nicholas?”

She gritted her teeth against the dismissive way he said her name, which was completely at odds with the friendlier way he used Nicholas’ first name. If she tried to call him “Wes,” she knew she would be immediately slapped down for the familiarity, but that didn’t stop him from using her first name. There was no point in calling attention to the hypocrisy. It wouldn’t matter to him.

“I reached out to Mrs. Alexander’s lawyer and scheduled another meeting. However, I’m not sure it will matter, considering the evidence they have of his infidelity. Truthfully, I think it would be best for him to move forward with the divorce and accept the terms of the prenup rather than contesting it. At this point, there’s nothing to be gained by further meetings, especially as his hostile behavior isn’t likely to convince her to negotiate.”

“Well, it’s his money to spend,” Donaldson Sr. said with a wave of his hand that made Camille want to shake her head.

She didn’t understand any of the partners. Supposedly, they were friends with Mr. Alexander, or golf buddies at least, yet they had no problem letting him rack up billable hours on a useless quest. Definitely not how she’d want any of her friends to treat her.

“Just keep him quiet during the meeting and make him happy.”

Before she could protest or ask how he thought she was going to manage babysitting the manchild and keeping him happy, the man was gone. At least he closed the door behind him so no one could see her banging her head on her desk.