"I would have liked it on my desk four hours ago Antonio. Being new doesn't excuse not doing you're job. You are my assistant, I am extremely busy, I don't have time to do my job and your job." Carmin shuffled through two more piles of paper. She had already cut her hand three times but she needed a signature in order to enter into exhibit a piece of evidence. Antonio, her 'new assistant', was supposed to give it to her this morning. Court was at 1, it was 9 am, she had it to be at the courthouse at 10:30 to prep her client and the legal team.
She missed not having a PA but the firm required her to have one. Now she was unorganized because he kept moving her shit.
"I'm sorry Ms. Grey, I didn't-"
"Carmin." She corrected. "It's not a big deal Antonio I just need it in my hand right now." She blew a piece of hair out of her face that her clip didn't hold back and sifted through the last pile on her desk.
Danielle, a new associate, knocked on the open office door, "Hey Carmin, I found this folder by the coffee machine, your defendant's case number is on the sticky note, are you missing it?" Her chirpy voice was a nice change to the almost pin drop silent room, minus the constant paper shuffling.
Carmin let out a breathe, "Oh thank god Danielle! I love you, you are my best friend. Please for the love of god tell me it's Mr. Lorentz?"
Danielle smiled wider, waving it in the air, "Yes ma'am."
Antonio grabbed it for his boss, a placed it in her open briefcase, "Okay we need to go Ms. Grey, now. There is a accident on Parkhill so we have to go around. Andrew is waiting out front."
Carmin nods, grabbing a few other papers from her desk and placing them in the briefcase. "Thank you Danielle. You are a life saver. Lunch on me tomrrow?" Danielle nods and laughs, agreeing.
Antonio stood with his hands behind his back watching Carmin, "I would just like to apologize-" He is cut off by the clicking of the briefcase closing and rushed to catch up with the fast strides of his boss. How she managed fo walk that fast in those heels was a question he always asked himself when they were in a rush.
"I don't need you past this point Mr. Greene." She stressed the last name in an attempt to remind him what she said when they met. The firm may have believed his documents but she knew a deep fake when she saw one. She knew he was a liar. Antonio was shocked but when she said she wasn't going to investigate because she was to tired to pick up another case, there wasn't a word to describe how confused he was.
Antonio nodded, standing at the door as he watched Andrew hold the car door open for Carmin. She was something else. It didn't shock him that his boss had him follow her. And when he had told his boss he had been made in the first 10 minutes of meeting Ms. Grey, instead of a angry Dante he got a pleased Dante. That meant it was a test. And that meant Carmin passed.
Carmin shook hands with her client, smiling as he thanked her. He was a pretentious asshole who stole a lot of money from his corporate job but Carmin was a family lawyer for the Lorentz's so she didn't have much choice in what she had to defend them on. And it didn't matter, there wasn't enough evidence to file anything on the man so Carmin got them to agree to a lousy settlement that made the Lorentz's richer and her not have to go to trial. Which lowered her work load and genuinely made her a better person.
"Oh thank you Ms. Grey, you are always so helpful." He smiled widely, his grip on her hand growing uncomfortable as he brought it to his lips.
Carmin nodded, "That is what I am paid for, now please, let's take our exit. Our turn is done." Carmin bent down to pick up her unneeded brief case, Mr. Lorentz's companies lawyers were incompetent, and with a couple harsh statements thrown their way, they folded and admitted to no evidence, which was embarrassing because if Carmin was on their side she would have demolished Mr. Lorentz. And she had less time to prepare an argument then them.
As Carmin stood back up, she slammed right into the next case's lawyer. She stumbled back with an apologetic smile and fell into another person, "My apologies." She muttered, turning around.
"Ms. Grey!" Dante exclaimed, "Funny seeing you here."
Carmin raised an eyebrow, "I'm a lawyer." She muttered, annoyed. He was either really stupid or he was trying to be funny. Whichever it was, Carmin could care less.
"Right! What's your rate again?"
"$467. An hour. If you'll excuse me Mr. Fiore." Mr. Lorentz had already left and now it was Carmin holding up the judge.
"Wait." She didn't. "If I tripled your rates would you take my case right now." He continued causing Carmin to freeze for a second, turning around.
"Mr. Fiore, that's almost 15 hundred. An hour." She felt she needed him to know how much he was offering. Carmin was good, one of the best, but she prided herself on her reasonable rates which were truly only anywhere between $150 and $207 but she figured he'd brush her off if she increased the rates.
Dante nodded, "Right, that's pretty cheap. Uhm, let's go $4,000 for an hourly wage and an extra $2,000 out of pocket now because I'm dragging you into this with no warning...?" He trialed off, eyes hopeful.
Carmin stared at him, undoubtedly confused. "Okay." She agreed nonetheless.
"Your honor, incidentally the state department has failed to address how they came into contact with the evidence they are presenting. Their evidence is all circumstantial and the detective who collected it has tampering on his record and somehow still had a job. It's important to put the idea that the evidence that allegedly could put my client away could have been planted at the scene of the crime. And then the matter of the law. My understanding of the law, of the basie requirement of an indictment is that the accused shall be sufficiently informed as to the charge which he or she is called upon to meet and that the indictment should contain such information so as to protect the defendant from double jeopardy. The arresting officers refused to inform my client what he was being arrested for and the department he was held at refused him a phone call. This case can be taken to trial and that is the direction my client has chosen if the decision made here today is to make some type of deal with the state department. Thank you your honor." Dante looked at Carmin with deep admiration. She had five minutes to prepare for his case and she seemed to have it handled.
After the prosecutor had given there argument to the judge, it was determined very quickly that a trial would be held. Carmin packed up her stuff for the second time and waited for Dante to finish his conversation with the lawyer he replaced 10 minutes ago. He turned around towards Carmin and smiled brightly, "Very good Ms. Grey, Harold here told me the best option was to go for a deal, I am optimistic that I don't have much to worry about with this trial and that sharp tongue of yours." Dante held an arm out for Carmin to grasp, "I especially enjoyed it when you snapped at blondie. 'That is untrue Ms. Johnson, those words never came from my mouth.' It was incredibly arousing to be witness to."
Carmin shook her head, "We need to have a talk Mr. Fiore..."
YOU ARE READING
Lawyers, Liars, & Lipstick
Romance"Do you understand Omertà, Ms. Grey?" Carmin smiled kindly at the man, "it's a concept I'm familiar with. I do also, understand when I'm being threatened Mr. Fiore." Lucien's brow twitched as he watched the brunette in front of him continue to eat...
