“Of course,” she said. “My boyfriend needs me.”
Boyfriend. I liked that word. “Keep saying things like that, and I’ll take you again right now.”
Her eyes sparkled. “You could... but Naomi would probably come looking for me.”
Ugh.“Hitting a man where it hurts, beautiful,” I said. “Not nice, Alex.”
Her eyes were filled with mirth, but there was a more serious set to her lips. “Take it easy for the rest of the day,” she said. “We’ll curl up on your couch tonight.” Alex smoothed her clothes again and with one more kiss, sauntered out of my office.
I was pretty sure that I was in love with that woman.
14
JAKE
“I have been told that you’re the best in the business.” The man in front of me, Hunter Bailey, was wearing a three-piece suit that blew even my collection out of the water, and I could see my face reflected in the shine of his shoes.
“Some have said that,” I said with a shrug. “But I don’t get involved in the entertainment industry.”
“You’re Ryan Jacobs’s father,” he said.
“Shockingly, Mr. Bailey, my son and I keep our professional lives separate. I have very little to do with his career.”
“But you could advise him,” the man argued, “if he asked for it.”
I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. “I couldn’t act as his lawyer,” I said. “Ethically-speaking, it’s a bad idea... and professionally speaking, your case isn’t a good idea, either.”
Hunter was a young, up-and-coming director in Hollywood. He had three films that were critically acclaimed under his belt, and he had been working on a project that was sure to net him an Oscar nomination when he was fired following the release of a set of text messages, supposedly from Bailey, that detailed him cheating on his wife and using funds from the movie to fund his mistress. The text messages weren’t the only evidence the production company had against him, so they say, and if it was true, he wouldn’t win the unlawful termination suit that he wanted to file.
“I didn’t do what they’re claiming,” he insisted.
“Which part?” I asked. “The fraud or the cheating?”
Hunter seemed to be chewing on his own tongue, but finally, he said, “The fraud,” he said. “My wife and I were separated when I started seeing Layla, but I never took money from the company to fund her. She’s a grown ass woman with a good job. She didn’t need me to fund her for anything.” He leaned forward, hands on my desk as if he were about to plead for his life. “We don’t have a morality clause in our contract. My extramarital affair didn’t affect the bottom line of the business, so it shouldn’t matter.”
God help me, but I was intrigued. Not because I didn’t think he was a scumbag—I fully thought that—but because he admitted to the affair so easily. Most men would at least try to hide it. “What do they have on you outside of the text messages?” I asked.
Hunter shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I wouldneverappropriate funds from my job. I may not be a good husband, Mr. Jacobs, but I’m not a thief.”
I’m not sure I believed him, but at the very least, he seemed sincere. It was also strange that the company had merely fired him. They hadn’t brought charges against him, which would have been my first move. An intriguing case, to be sure, but there was literally no way to win it. “This is a losing case,” I said. “Why are you fighting this hard to get back into a production company that’s ousting you like this?”
“I’ve built my career with that company. I made themmillions, and now I’m on the outs. No other company will touch me with this kind of allegation against me.”
“You’re on the Oscar track,” I pointed out.
“I could be the worst womanizer on the face of the planet, and as long as I’m not a creep about it, my career would survive,” he said. “But mess with Hollywood’s money? I’ll be dead in the water. If I don’t fight back, I’m going to lose everything.”
I did not like this man. This was not a case that we were going to win. “Court fees are huge, and those fall on you.”
He sighed. “I’m aware of that. I may not have a job, but I’m not exactly in the poorhouse. I can afford your fees.”
The challenge of the situation was going to make me stupid. “Let me talk to a few of my associates,” I said. “We’ll let you know our decision shortly.”
Hunter nodded, already smiling, as if he knew we would decide to take on his case. “Thank you, Mr. Jacobs.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I warned.
He grinned at me over his shoulder. “Sure,” he said, sounding so cocky and sure of himself.This is not a good idea, I thought, but I called both Zach and Thomas anyway.