“Shut the door, Miles, and have a seat.”
I step into Garcia’s office and sit down, feeling like my heart is hammering so hard it might explode all over the pristine white couch and white-on-white patterned area rug.
“I’m reassigning the case,” Garcia says.
“What? Why?”
She gestures out the window to the view overlooking the city. “Do you know how I got where I am? How I started this firm? I had to be above reproach, every step of the way. My reputation was utterly spotless and it still is. And even so, I still get accused of sleeping my way to the top and any other number of unethical methods. Have you ever known me to fuck any of my clients?”
I swallow hard. “No.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. One more question. Do you think I have ever fucked a person who is being sued by one of our clients? Do you think that’s even a possibility for me?”
“I’m guessing no.”
“So you’ll understand my concerns, Miles. I’m giving the case to Bryant.”
“Bryant? He…”
She leans forward in her chair. “You are lucky that I was the one that heard you dicking the defendant in the bathroom before anyone else did. I could fire you over this. Clearly you’ve not got our best interest or the client’s best interest at heart.”
“The client is a dickweed.”
“A dickweed with money. That’s all I care about.”
“Then it probably won’t matter to you that I’m not just fucking around. I love that woman. I’m going to marry that woman.”
She stands and goes to the window and looks out. “All the more reason to fire you. You should have disclosed this to me immediately so I could give the case to someone else. Now—”
The noise from her phone cuts off our discussion.
She looks down at the screen. Her mouth falls open, slightly. She shakes her head, takes a deep breath and types a reply. When she puts her iPhone back on her desk, she folds her arms across her chest and laughs, not without a tinge of bitterness.
“Well. That was opposing counsel. They dropped the case.”
“What?”
“Apparently, your girl has just informed her attorney that she’s going to leave the statue up, and the Chamberlains are satisfied.”
This seems too good to be true, but I don’t tell her that.
“Am I free to go?”
“Yes. And you’re being suspended pending an internal investigation of your relationship. We’ll need passwords to your office computer and all your work-related devices.”
“But the case has been dropped.”
“Yes, and now you’re a liability. I need to make sure this is not a pattern with you.”
I stand up, my voice shaking because I know she’s right. I was wrong to sleep with Martha while working on this case. I knew it from the beginning. “Would it be easier on you if I just quit now?”
She gives me the once-over and says, “I know this is the part where I’m supposed to jump in and act like the maternal boss and tell you everything is going to be okay, and don’t you dare quit because you’re indispensable. But the truth is, I’m going to have to get back to you on that.”
20
Martha
Is it possible that a really good fuck suddenly makes everything more clear?