At a quarter to five on a Friday afternoon Janet was staring at the clock on the wall of her office. She was beginning to have serious doubts about her qualifications as an attorney. She had been on the job for a week, and she had yet to claim one completed task to her name. What kind of firm hired a lawyer to sit around and do nothing all day? She wanted to think that next week things would be different, but all of her experiences at Bostoff Securities spoke to the contrary. Take the recent meeting with the Bostoffs: Hank, Jon, and Paul. Jon Bostoff’s demeanor had seemed to stiffen when Janet mentioned her past experience at the DA’s office. And the whole set up with Tom Wyman just seemed strange to begin with.
The way Janet saw it there were two options: either Bostoff Securities was a clean shop, and she simply had failed to understand its intricate operations, or her employer was a crook. Sooner or later all crooks got caught. Granted, she had only been on the job a week. Her experience working for the DA did not exactly make her the most trusting of people, but she figured that if it looked like a duck, swam like a duck, and quacked like a duck, then it probably was a duck.
Short of quitting, which due to the mounting pile of bills she had accumulated while unemployed was not an option, there was nothing Janet could do at the moment to change her situation. What she needed now was a drink—a vodka martini would get her mind off things. Thankfully, she would not have to wait long. She was meeting her law school friends, Katie Addison and Joe O’Connor, at Smith and Wollensky for drinks at six.
“You’re still here?” Lisa appeared in the doorway of Janet’s office.
“Yeah, I’m waiting to meet Katie and Joe for drinks.” Janet immediately regretted her lapse, lest Lisa invite herself to join them.
“Oh, that sounds like fun.” Lisa yawned. “But I’ve got a date with Paul. I think he is going to pop the question this weekend.”
“You think so?” Janet tried to force excitement into her voice. She had no doubts that Lisa actually possessed an ability to physically bend men to her will. If she wanted Paul to propose marriage to her this weekend, the poor man would no doubt oblige.
“Yes, I think so. We’ve been dating for a year; this weekend is our anniversary, and Paul is taking me to a secret getaway.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Now, if you would just give Tom Wyman a chance, you too could be wearing a diamond on your finger in the near future.”
“I don’t think I’m his type,” Janet lied. From what she had seen of Tom Wyman, every woman was his type, at least for one night, but Janet was not looking to be somebody’s disposable fun.
“Well, maybe if you weren’t so prim all the time. Are you going out like that?” Lisa eyed Janet critically.
“Yes,” Janet mumbled, already anticipating what was about to follow. Since her unsuccessful flirtation with Tom Wyman, she had reverted to her conservative business attire.
“Nothing. You look perfectly swell to take someone’s statement, but I doubt any guy is going to ask you for a date with your hair tied up in that bun of yours and your blouse buttoned up all the way to your ears.”
“Good.” Janet pressed her lips together. If Lisa refused to observe boss-employee boundaries, she would do the same. “That’s precisely the effect I’m going for.”
“Well, have fun.” Lisa lingered, no doubt waiting for an apology, but Janet sat back in her chair with her eyes fixed on her desk.
And then the impossible happened. Lisa smiled wanly and shifted on her high-heeled shoes.
“Look, Janie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tick you off. I know it’s the end of the week, and you’re probably tired and all. I just want you to be happy, that’s all.” Lisa halted. “And, truth be told, I’m a bit nervous about Paul. What if he doesn’t propose? I don’t think his brother likes me…”
Janet blinked. “I know you mean well. I’m sorry.” And just like that, Janet was back, apologizing to Lisa the way she had done countless times before during all the years of their friendship. “And don’t worry about Paul. The two of you are great together, and he doesn’t look like the kind of man who would let anyone sway his mind,” Janet counseled with the confidence of a relationship expert, trying not to think about the fact that her latest relationship had ended with heartbreak instead of an engagement.
At six o’clock on the dot, Janet was seated at the bar of Smith and Wollensky. A dirty vodka martini with three olives was in front of her. Janet bit into an olive and washed it down with a sizeable gulp of the martini, wishing that Katie and Joe would get there already. Ever since she had turned old enough to enter the establishment, she had hated sitting alone by the bar. Tonight was no exception, as Janet worried about her outfit, courtesy of Lisa’s comments, and wondered whether any of the noisy suit types crowding the place were checking her out. Not that she was interested, but at the moment, male attention would be a welcome boost to her ego.
“Janet!”
Janet turned around at the sound of the familiar voices.
“Joe! Katie!”
“Congratulations on the new job! Come here, you!” Katie held out her arms for a hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. You look great.”
“Thanks, you look great too.” Katie was dressed in a gray sheath with a matching jacket and conservative two-inch pumps, instantly making Janet feel better about her own outfit.
“It’s good to see you, Janet.” Joe beamed at her, his hazel eyes twinkling.
“You too, Joe.” Janet felt warm from the compliment. She liked Joe; he was a good friend. There had been one late study night, just as Janet had started seeing Alex seriously, when Joe had hinted that he hoped they could be more than friends, but at the time Janet had been too enamored with Alex’s charms to consider Joe. She had always thought of him as a safe, cuddly teddy bear. After graduation, Janet and Katie saw each other regularly, but even though Joe and Katie worked for the same law firm, Joe always seemed to have an excuse not to come when they invited him to join them for drinks. Tonight, Joe looked very much the part of legal counsel in his dark navy pinstriped suit that was expertly cut to fit his muscular physique.
“I see a table opening up.” Katie headed in the direction of the emptying table close to the bar.
“After you.” Joe waited for Janet to pass.
“So, tell us everything about your new job,” said Katie after they had ordered drinks.
Janet decided to omit her misgivings about Bostoff Securities for the time being. “Oh, it’s only been a week – I’m still learning the ropes. How are things with you guys?”
“What can I tell you?” Katie shrugged. “If I have to proofread another contract, I’m going to hang myself.”
“I told you that you should have gone for litigation.” Joe chuckled. “The hours are crazy, but the work is so much more interesting.”
“Yes, it may be interesting, but it’s way too intense for my taste.” Katie shivered. “I can’t imagine myself being up before the judge and the jury.”
Joe shook his head. “That’s the best part. Not that I’ve gotten to do much of it yet. I’m mostly doing research for the senior lawyers and helping with witness prep, but lately the senior partners have been letting me come along to court with them. Already, I’ve learned so much. I can’t wait to actually be up there, defending my own case someday.”
“You will.” Janet smiled. Joe’s passion reminded her of the way she had felt when she started her job at the DA’s office. Only she had wanted to bring wrongdoers to justice instead of defending them, and now she was in a different boat entirely. Her employment with Bostoff Securities had not been a long one yet, but Janet doubted she would ever be as passionate about her current occupation as Joe was.
“It’s a good thing you switched jobs, Janet. Otherwise, we might have faced each other from the opposite sides of the defense,” said Joe.
“Well, if you put it that way.” Janet managed a smile. “But to tell you the truth, I miss the DA’s office. I guess I was
a better sleuth than I am an attorney.” She shrugged.
“You don’t sound very excited about your new job. Is everything okay?” Katie cut in. “Or is it because of Lisa?”
“Partially,” Janet answered evasively. She knew that Katie had no special place in her heart for Lisa, but old loyalty prevented her from agreeing. Besides, Lisa did get her the job, and for that she deserved credit, even if the job did not turn out to be anything like Lisa had promised it would be. “I’m still learning about their business model, but some of their practices seem a little unorthodox…”
“Welcome to the real world, honey!” Katie smirked. “In addition to drafting contracts, I’ve had the pleasure of helping some of the financial firms with their regulatory battles. I’m talking major names, which, of course, I can’t name, but you’d be surprised to hear what goes on inside some of these so called reputable firms. Some of the stuff they do for their clients is bordering on tax evasion and insider trading.”
“And no one is doing anything about this?”
“I didn’t say that. The regulators slap them on the wrist now and then; they pay a fine and go on their merry way, doing the same thing all over again. Are you going to tell me that every investigation you were on at the DA’s office resulted in a successful finding?”
Janet shook her head. She knew only too well that it did not. At least not her most recent and most intricate case – the one that she had been sure was going to get her a promotion, but instead got her fired. Correction: downsized.
“You listen to me, Janet.” Katie leaned across the table. “If you want to succeed at your new job, you’ve got to change your mentality. You aren’t catching the bad guys anymore. You’re covering their butts. And if they happen to cut a few corners here and there, you’ve got to come up with a way to make them look like they’ve crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s.”
Joe nodded. “Katie is right. Let’s face it. An innocent client rarely needs a lawyer, and when you’re an in-house counsel, the client expects you tell them what they can do, not what they can’t do.”
“I know.” Janet nodded. Suddenly she felt completely out of touch. She had thought she had gained substantial experience during her time with the DA, but now it seemed to her that she had only gleaned the surface of things.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Janet.” Katie smiled guiltily. “But I couldn’t be this frank with you when you were in prosecution. Take my advice. If you want to make it in the private sector, you’ve got to become more lenient.”
Janet nodded. “You may be right. Like I said, I’m not jumping to any conclusions. I just need more time to learn the ropes.”
The conversation was interrupted by a petite blonde appearing by Joe’s chair. “Hi, baby, I’m so sorry I’m late!”
“Daphne…I didn’t think you were coming.” Joe pushed back his chair. “Janet, this is my fiancée, Daphne,” he added awkwardly. “Daphne, this is Janet. We went to law school together, and you’ve already met Katie.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daphne.” Janet hoped that her smile looked genuine. She did not have anything against Daphne per se. She did not even know the girl, but something inside her had constricted when Joe had called the pretty blonde his fiancée.
Daphne settled into the chair next to Joe, prominently displaying her left hand on the table. Her ring finger was adorned with a sizeable diamond. “Isn’t it lovely? We just got engaged last week. I’m still getting used to the feeling of it.”
“It’s beautiful. How long have the two of you been seeing each other?” Janet’s curiosity was getting the better of her.
“Oh, we’ve been dating on and off…” Joe started.
“For two years,” Daphne cut him off. “I finally had to put my foot down and say, ‘You either propose, mister, or else!’”
Janet sipped her drink. For a future litigator, Joe was certainly very easily bulldozed when it came to his personal life. But then maybe that was exactly what he needed – someone to take charge when he got home after a long day in the courtroom. In any case, Janet would never find out for sure. She had missed that boat. Not that she had wanted to be on it – not really. If she had, she would have given Joe a chance when he had asked her to.
Later in the evening Janet and Katie were waiting for a cab together. They had let Joe and Daphne take the first cab, not so much out of generosity, but rather to get rid of Daphne, who had grown overly chatty after her second Cosmopolitan. Joe seemed embarrassed as he climbed into the cab after Daphne, bidding them a hasty goodnight.
Katie shook her head. “Joe didn’t tell me he got engaged to that nutcase. It just proves that he’s working too much. He’s got no time to date. That’s one of the hazards of being a lawyer in a private firm. You either end up single, like me, or hitched with a nutcase, like poor Joe.” Katie sighed. “You should have given Joe a chance while he was still available,” she added pointedly.
“I was too head over heels with Alex to notice anyone else.”
“That dirt bag.” Katie ground her heel on the pavement. “I never liked him, and I told you as much. Something about him just didn’t feel right. Too suave, too…”
“You can let it go now, Katie – it’s been long enough.” Janet shrugged. She was only too familiar with the direction in which the conversation was heading, but contrary to what she had just said, she found it hard to let go of Alex just yet.
“So how did Lisa land the general counsel job at Bostoff?” Katie took the cue and switched the conversation.
“Lisa went to Harvard Law. She’s smart.”
“Wahoo! And you and I went to Columbia. I don’t get anyone knocking on my door offering me general counsel jobs and neither do you. So, how did she swing it?”
“Well, she’s dating the owner’s son. They are about to get engaged…”
“That figures. Leave it to Lisa to sleep her way to the top. Darn it, I should start wearing sexier clothes to the office. Did I tell you that one of the senior partners propositioned me?”
“No way.” Janet’s eyes flew wide open.
“One night I was there working late on an assignment for him when the old bugger cruised over to my office and asked me if I wanted to get something to eat. I was starving, so I said yes. We went to a Chinese place close to the office, and he ordered a bottle of wine. I didn’t think anything of it – two coworkers unwinding after a long day at the office. But then, after the second glass, he reached for my hand and told me that he wanted to take our working relationship to the next level. And you should see this guy. He looks like a benevolent grandpa, all proper and dignified, with a handkerchief in his suit jacket. The jerk is in his late sixties, married with two kids who are in their thirties, and, as I found out later, he is also sleeping with his paralegal. I told him that I didn’t date coworkers. I had to be polite – he is a senior partner. The next day, the bugger had the nerve to ask me for the assignment as though nothing had happened. Come to think of it, I should have said yes, taped the whole thing and sued his ass for sexual harassment.”
“Well, maybe it’s not too late.” Janet literally felt her sides splitting from trying not to laugh. She would not want to be in Katie’s shoes, but the story was hilarious.
“Sure, go ahead, laugh,” Katie snapped. “But I’m not telling you this just for laughs: life’s no picnic at any job. So you’re working for Lisa now. At least she’s not trying to sleep with you. And who knows, if you play your cards right, she just might promote you.”
Janet found herself wondering if getting a promotion at the firm of Bostoff Securities would actually be a good thing.
Chapter 8