7
Joseph, along with the other eight partners in the DC office, was in the midst of a heated discussion over whether to represent two former female employees of an international company headquartered in Northern Virginia who claimed part of their job responsibilities was to have sex with important clients. The women served as account executives in the Marketing Department and mainly functioned as liaisons between the company and new and established clients.
“This doesn’t even warrant discussion,” Tony said. “We don’t do sexual harassment.”
“Wait a second,” Kevin said. “We are not in agreement over whether this is sexual harassment.”
“We have three ingredients here,” Joseph said. “Sex, workplace, women.” He held up three fingers. “That sounds like sexual harassment to me.”
“This is much more complex than you two are portraying,” Kevin argued. “Zurtech has 35,000 employees in the US, 20,000 at their facility in Silicon Valley and another 15,000 in Reston. This practice could be widespread throughout the company. They are hiring young women fresh out of college, placing them in marketing departments, and then giving them bonuses based on how much sex they have with corporate clients. With a base salary of $50,000, one of these women took home an additional $100,000 in bonuses last year.”
“If what you’re saying is true, this is prostitution,” Tony said. “These women are freely having sex and being paid generously to do so. This sounds like a case for the DA’s office.”
“That may be true for these two women, but what about the other women who work in these departments? Do you believe every woman Zurtech hires for marketing willingly becomes a prostitute? This has the potential to be a huge class action suit.”
Tony laughed aloud. “Now we are back to a sexual harassment case. We don’t do, have never done, and aren’t about to start representing these types of clients.”
“Tony’s right,” Joseph said. “This case is too dirty. Tell these women to go to the police.”
“Can you imagine what’s going to happen to Zurtech stock when this comes out?” one of the junior partners asked. “Their stock is currently up twenty percent for the year.”
“Not a stock I want in my portfolio,” Tony said. “Let’s move on.”
“Do you want to grab lunch?” Tony asked Joseph as the partners were filing out of his office an hour later.
“I’ll take a rain check,” Joseph said. “I have to run. We’ll talk later.”
Moments later, Joseph was in the office of the associate who had conducted the interviews of the Zurtech women. “I want all your notes,” he said.
“Kevin told me to call them. He said we aren’t going forward with it,” the young associate said.
“We’re not, but I’m going to personally make the calls.”
“Oh, okay.” He held out the file.
“Thanks.” Joseph took the file and returned to his office.
“Martha,” he called several minutes later.
“Yes?” She stepped into his office.
“I want to meet with these two women separately.” He held out a piece of paper. “Try to schedule something for this Saturday or Sunday.”
“But we’re closed on weekends.” She looked down at the piece of paper.
“That’s alright. I’ll be in.”
“Do you need me to come—”
“No,” he interrupted, shaking his head.
“Okay. I’ll arrange it.”
“Thank you. Oh, and one more thing,” he said before she was out of his office. “Let’s keep this between us and bill any of your time involved to general admin.”
“May I ask why?” she asked.
“No.”
At 11:00 Saturday morning Joseph, dressed in a dark suit, was sitting behind the receptionist’s desk in front of the elevator awaiting the arrival of one of the two women involved in the Zurtech suit.
He slowly came to his feet as the elevator doors opened. “Ms. Kelly?” He met the eyes of the young woman coming off the elevator.
“Yes.” She smiled. She looked like a dark-haired Scarlett Johansson. Not even her conservative business suit could detract from the voluptuous body beneath.
“I’m Joseph Craig.” He walked out from behind the receptionist’s desk and held out his hand.
“Please call me Claudia.” She returned his handshake, the female interest in her eyes unmistakable.
“Thanks for coming in on a Saturday. With the holidays approaching, it was the only time I could fit you in. I didn’t want to wait until after the New Year to talk.” He led her down the hall to his office.
“I was surprised you wanted to see me and Lia separately,” she said before preceding him into his large office.
He helped her out of her coat before gesturing with his hand towards one of the leather club chairs in front of his desk. “I didn’t call you and Ms. Merrick in together because I want to hear each of your stories without influence from each other.” He took a seat behind his desk. “You experienced similar treatment at Zurtech, but at different times, with different people. In all likelihood, I’m going to handle your cases separately. At least at this point I think I am.” He opened the file on his desk.
“The gentleman I talked to before indicated this might be a class action suit.”
“Maybe.” Joseph looked up from the file, meeting her eyes. “But that hasn’t been decided, and even if we choose to take that course, I would still meet with each client separately.”
“I understand. It’s…” She paused as she crossed one leg over the other and sat up straighter in the chair. “We weren’t sure about your rates, and we thought if we did it together…” She trailed off.
“I’m sorry. I assumed someone discussed the rates with you at your initial meeting,” he said. “Regardless of whether we handle your cases together or separately, our rates would be the same. This will cost you nothing unless we get something from Zurtech. In other words, we take this on at a risk to ourselves and do all the up-front work at no charge. If we win a settlement, our firm takes forty percent off the top. If, on the other hand, we are unsuccessful, you owe us nothing and we basically have to write off the time and money we spend preparing.”
“Is the forty percent normal?”
“For law firms of our caliber it is.”
“It seems high.”
“It’s not negotiable.” He leaned back in his chair. “My hourly rate is a thousand dollars. We can’t afford to invest our time in speculative cases such as yours without the possibility of a large payoff.” He watched her. “Would you like to take some more time to think it over?”
“No. I want you.” She met his eyes.
He returned her stare. “Good,” he finally said, remaining professional. “Let’s get started then.” He reached into the top drawer of his desk and removed a small digital recorder. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”
“No. I don’t mind.”
“Okay. I know you’ve been through this once before with my colleagues, but since I’m taking the lead on this case, I’d like you to tell me, from the beginning, exactly what happened.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “A Zurtech representative came to Boston University my senior year to participate in a job fair. I was graduating that spring with a degree in journalism and public relations, and they made it sound like an exciting place to work.”
“This was four years ago?”
“It will be four in May.”
“And do you recall the name of the recruiter you met with from Zurtech?”
“Yes, Cecile Mann.”
“Okay.” He jotted the name on his legal pad. “How did she describe the position? What made it sound exciting?”
“I was being hired to work in this exclusive division in their Marketing Department that was responsible for keeping Zurtech’s most elite clients happy. I was going to be paid to party with rich and powerful men.”
“So they weren’t hiring you to sell?”
“They were hiring me to sell brand loyalty. It was the B2B’s job to entertain the elite-level clients. To make them feel loyal to Zurtech.”
“B2B stands for business to business?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “That’s what we’re called.”
“And you accepted the position?”
“Yes. They offered me forty thousand dollars a year and paid for my relocation from Boston to Northern Virginia.”
“And how did that compute with what your classmates were being offered?”
“It was fine. My grades weren’t the best, and Zurtech was a respected company. Some of my friends with better grades interviewed for the position also, but didn’t get it.”
“Were they as attractive as you?”
“No,” she said, her lips turning up in a smile.
“How soon after you started did you realize you were being hired to do more than entertain?”
“In retrospect, I probably should have known right away, but I think it took me a year to really understand what was happening,” she said.
“A year?” He looked down at the file. “It was my understanding the sex started much earlier.” He began flipping through the file.
“It did. It started after my third reception, but I didn’t understand at the time that the company was encouraging us to have sex.”
He looked up from the file. “You were having sex with the clients, but you didn’t know Zurtech wanted you to?”
“I was having a relationship with one client.”
“What kind of relationship exactly?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I was young. At the time, I thought he loved me.”
“So you were in a romantic relationship with this client?”
“I don’t know how romantic it actually was. We had a lot of sex.”
“And where did this sex take place?”
“The first time was in Zurtech’s corporate apartment. That was the night we met.”
“How did you end up in the corporate apartment together?”
“I don’t remember exactly. There was a reception that night at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson’s Corner. I had too much to drink.” She shook her head. “When I woke up the next morning we were in bed together at the apartment.”
“And then after that first night, you saw him exclusively?”
“Yes. For the next eleven months, I only slept with Alan West.”
Joseph’s eyes widened in surprise. “Alan West as in West to East Communications?” Alan West was the CEO of one of the largest telecommunications companies in the country.
“That’s the one.” She readjusted her position in the chair.
“He’s married, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “He was then and as far as I know he is now.”
“Where did the sex take place?”
“In the beginning it took place at the corporate apartment and then later at the Zurtech House.”
“The Zurtech House?”
“Zurtech bought a 10,000-square-foot house on several acres of land in Reston about three years ago. That’s where most of the receptions occur. And there are about six bedrooms on the second floor of the house.”
He wrote the word “brothel” on his notepad. “How often did you see West?”
“It varied, but probably twice a week. It all depended on when the receptions occurred.”
“Did all of your meetings take place on Zurtech property?”
“Or at Zurtech-hosted functions.”
“Like?” he prompted.
“Football games, concerts, cruises. I knew he was married, so I figured it was a convenient cover. We had a place to meet and have sex.” She shook her head. “I was an idiot. I never realized what was going on.”
“And what was going on?”
“I was being offered as a perk to an elite client.” Her gaze shifted to the window, and she didn’t speak for several seconds. “I’m not really sure, but I think I was supposed to understand from the beginning.” Her gaze returned to his. “After I started sleeping with Alan, bonuses began showing up in my paychecks.”
“And you didn’t receive any before then?”
“No.”
“Do you remember how much these bonuses were?”
“I know exactly how much they were.” She reached for her briefcase. “I kept all my pay stubs.” She pulled the case onto her lap and opened it up, extracting a two-inch stack of check-sized papers held together with a rubber band. “They’re in order of date.” She held them out.
He took the pile from her hand and removed the rubber band, his eyes quickly scanning the first twenty-five or so stubs. “You were paid every Friday?” he asked, not looking up from his perusal.
“Yes.”
“Your first bonus was seven hundred and fifty dollars?”
“That sounds right.”
“And then you continued to receive between seven hundred fifty and a thousand for….” He continued to flip through receipts.
“Eleven months,” she said.
“At the time, why did you think you were receiving these bonuses?” His gaze returned to her.
She shrugged. “I thought they liked my work.”
“Maybe they did.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Did anyone ever tell you these bonuses were in exchange for sex?”
“Not in those words exactly. But it was definitely implied.”
“How was it implied?”
“One day Alan just stopped attending receptions. He cut off all communications with me. I tried to call him and text him, but it was like he dropped off the face of the earth, only he didn’t because he was still CEO of West to East Communications. I could see him on the news, and he was still a Zurtech client.” She looked down at her hands. “To this day I don’t know what happened. What I did.” The eyes that lifted to his were tear-filled.
“Maybe you didn’t do anything,” Joseph said, pushing a box of tissues across his desk. “Maybe his wife found out.”
“Maybe.” She plucked a tissue from the box and dabbed her eyes. “This is ridiculous—I don’t even care anymore. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Take your time,” Joseph said. “I know this isn’t easy.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, meeting his eyes. “I’m fine. What was your last question?”
“How was it implied that you were receiving bonus money in exchange for sex?”
“After Alan cut off all contact with me, my bonuses stopped. I was very upset at the time because I’d gotten accustomed to making a certain amount of money, and then my pay was practically cut in half.”
“So you confronted your boss?” he asked when she didn’t immediately continue.
“Yes. I went to my boss to find out why my bonuses had disappeared when my quality of work was exactly the same.”
“Who was your boss?”
“Stan Hall, the VP of Marketing. He’s everyone’s boss.”
“And what did he say?” Again he prompted when she paused.
“He told me to get over Alan and start spending time with other elite clients.” She gave a forced laugh. “I was shocked. I didn’t know what to say. When I got over the initial shock, I reminded him I was still attending receptions and mingling with the VIPs, and I didn’t understand why he was bringing up Alan. And then he looked me in the eyes and said bonuses were based on the level of satisfaction we were providing the customers.”
“And that was it?”
“No. He said if I wanted to start receiving bonuses again I’d have to start giving other clients the same level of attention I gave Alan.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“And then what happened?”
She met his eyes. “Then I began to receive bonuses again.”
“Did you get into another long-term relationship?”
She shook her head as her eyes dropped to her hands. “No. I was with a lot of different men. The bonuses were based on the revenues associated with the client,” she continued, her voice light. “I made a lot of money.”
Joseph came to his feet and slowly walked around the desk before lowering himself into the chair beside hers. “How much?”
She took a deep breath and seemed to struggle to maintain her composure. “About a hundred fifty thousand dollars over the next eighteen months.”
“Does that include your salary?” He held out the box of tissues.
She again took a tissue and began to dab at her eyes. “No. I was making an additional forty-five thousand dollars a year in salary.”
“You were making over a hundred thousand a year in bonuses.”
“Yes.”
“Why did your bonus pay more than double after West? You said everything was tied in to revenue. He had to be one of Zurtech’s largest clients.”
She dropped her gaze back to her hands. “This is hard.”
“I know and I’m sorry, but I have to ask these questions.”
“I understand.” She sighed. “It’s very embarrassing, especially telling a man.”
“Don’t think of me as a man. Think of me as your attorney.”
She laughed in response. “That may be difficult.”
He returned to his earlier question. “Why the increases in bonus pay?”
“The bonus system wasn’t complicated. It was linked to the revenue generated, but it also tied in to the number of clients and the category of the act you performed.”
His eyes narrowed. “Elaborate on ‘category of act performed.’”
She shrugged. “Just like professionals, I guess. When I was with Alan I was paid at a rate for a single client. Like you said, he was a large client, so his rate was between three thousand and four thousand a month depending on the quarter. Most paid less than that, but…” She trailed off.
“I’ve heard everything, Claudia. You’re not going to shock me.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m some type of slut or something.”
“I think you’re a beautiful young woman who got caught up in something not of her own making. Tell me the rest.”
She met his eyes for a long moment before finally speaking. “The percentages were increased if you participated in group sex and stuff like that,” she said. “I mean, I didn’t do it all the time, but the bonuses were very good.”
“What is ‘stuff like that’?”
“Sex with two clients, or two clients and another B2B, or two B2Bs and a client.” She continued to meet his eyes. “You must think I’m awful.”
His face remained expressionless. “No, I think your boss is awful. And this was all taking place at this Zurtech House?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“And how did you know the different rates?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t difficult. You figured it out based on your pay.”
“No one ever told you straight out how much you would receive for the different acts?”
“No. But before a party, we would receive an email listing the clients attending and the amount they were worth to the company. This was basically your invitation. Once you realized the percentages, it was easy to figure how much you could make with the different clients.”
“Who generated this email?”
“I assume Stan Hall. It came from a generic address. I have copies of the emails with me.” She reached for her briefcase. “Would you like to see them?”
“Yes, I would like to see them.”
She opened the briefcase and extracted a manila legal-sized envelope. Written in black ink in the middle of the envelope were the words “client rosters.” She undid the string binding the packet and removed a stack of paper, separated in groups of two by a single staple in the left-hand corner, and held them out to him.
His eyes quickly scanned the sheets. The first page was an email from Zurtech – bulletin board to B2B Marketing Division with four columns listing client names, company, last quarter revenue, and expected next-quarter revenue.
The second page was an email from Claudia Kelly to Zurtech – bulletin board, written in memo form, with a subject line titled Client Interactions. The memo clearly outlined the “meetings” she’d attended over what looked to be a one-week period. Sometimes she’d list one client, sometimes two, sometimes several, and there were also numerous occasions where other female names appeared. “Would you explain what this second page means?”
“It’s actually quite simple. If I was with one client, their name appears alone. Where you see two names, I was with two, and when you see other girls’ names, it was more of a group thing.”
“Why did you keep copies of the emails?”
“I wanted to make sure my bonuses were correct.”
“And were they?”
“Yes. There was never a mistake.”
“Okay.” He paused for a moment, staring at the sheets in front of him. “Do you know who you were sending your emails to?”
“I assume Stan Hall.”
“You never saw a list of prices or percentages or anything that mentioned sex?”
Again she shook her head. “No.”
“What about the other women? You must have talked among yourselves.”
“Not really. It was company policy that we weren’t allowed to discuss our bonuses. And the whole atmosphere surrounding us created this sense of competition.”
“There were no men in this division?”
“Unless you include Stan Hall,” she said, “but he’s the head of all marketing, so he’s technically in every division.”
“And how many women? At any given time, how many B2Bs are in the division?”
She bit her lower lip as she looked up. “It varies, but probably twenty.”
He covered his mouth and began to rub his hand over his chin. “It’s hard to believe every woman they recruit would participate. Some of them must have husbands or boyfriends.”
“They never have husbands,” Claudia said. “Not when they start anyway. And most women don’t participate. They are usually fired or transferred out within the first three months.”
“And new women are brought in?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Most people don’t know what’s going on.”
“But what about these parties you attended? Isn’t that where you were having sex?”
“Yes, but that would only happen in certain areas. The people involved knew where to go.”
“Including the clients?”
“Some. They were kind of like us. Some of them knew exactly what was going on and others had no clue.”
“Any particular reason you left?” He smiled when she made an incredulous face. “I mean other than the obvious?”
“I don’t know. I guess I got tired of it all. I think hiring Lia Merrick was the beginning of the end for me. I mean, up until that point they’d never hired a single mother—and I felt sorry for her when she started dating one of the clients. I felt like I should warn her and I tried, but I guess not hard enough. She was so hurt. I still feel awful about it. I don’t want to be any part of it anymore.”
“When you quit, did they offer you a payoff of any type?”
“No.”
“Do you have anything else for me in your briefcase?” He stood and placed the pile of emails onto his desk.
“No. I think I’ve given you everything I have.”
“What exactly are you looking for us to do for you?”
“I don’t know. Make them pay somehow. I feel like I’ve lost my innocence. That should be worth something.”
He turned off the digital recorder. “I’m not sure what I can do for you, Claudia.” He leaned back against his desk, folding his arms across his chest as he faced her. “I think what Zurtech is doing is unethical and illegal, but proving that…” He shrugged. “That’s going to be a challenge, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure how much sympathy a jury will have for you. If you had come forward once you realized what was happening, that would be different. But you were knowingly involved for three years.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, her face crestfallen. “That I’m not going to get anything after what they did to me?”
“Probably not.”
“But you’re going to try? I mean, Lia wants to go to the police, but I don’t see what that would accomplish. We wouldn’t get anything.”
“Don’t go to the police. That would be a mistake. There isn’t enough here to get an indictment, and the chances of proving anything would evaporate quickly if they knew they were being investigated. And in your case, I think you’re in a very vulnerable position. If you went to the police they’d probably offer you immunity from prosecution in exchange for your testimony.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
“Having sex in exchange for money is a crime. In my opinion, it’s highly unlikely they’d come after you, but it’s possible.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my God, I never even considered that.”
“Well, I’m an attorney. It’s my job to consider everything. My advice to you is to put this all behind you and go on with your life.”
She shook her head, an incredulous look on her face. “So what you’re saying is they’re going to get away with this? What they did to countless women?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re not going to get away with anything. They’ll eventually be exposed. What I’m saying is you should be as far removed from them as possible when that happens or you may be looking for a criminal attorney.”
“Oh—God.” She leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. “This isn’t at all what I expected.”
“I’m sorry.”
She brought her head forward and slowly came to her feet. “I guess that’s it then.” She reached for her briefcase.
He pushed off the desk and crossed the room to the coat rack. “I wish I could have told you what you wanted to hear.” She followed him to the front of the office and he helped her into her coat. “Oh, and one more thing,” he said, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Don’t share this information with anyone—for your own protection, you need to keep quiet.”
Joseph’s Mercedes skidded to a halt at the curb in front of a parking meter at 10:55 the following morning. He only had five minutes to spare before his meeting with the second woman involved in the Zurtech case.
He sifted through the change in the small area in front of the gearshift, but only came up with one quarter. He cursed aloud as he tossed it back. He opened the door and climbed out of the low-slung sports car, grabbing his briefcase from behind the driver’s seat before jogging towards the building.
“Good morning, Mr. Craig,” an elderly black man said, looking up from his desk when Joseph came through the glass door.
“Wilmer?” Joseph walked past the bank of elevators and straight to the man’s desk. “Has a woman been here looking for me?”
“No, sir.” He shook his head.
“Thanks.” He turned, but after a brief hesitation he was reaching inside his suit jacket and turning back to Wilmer. “Merry Christmas,” he said moments later, handing him a hundred-dollar bill.
The older man looked up at him, his eyes wide. “Mr. Craig, your office already gave me money.”
“I know, but I wanted to too.”
Lia parked her Honda behind a black Mercedes. She allowed herself a quick glance, and for once didn’t fantasize about owning the nicer car. No, this time she dreamt of being able to afford it, because if she could afford it she could pay off her mounting debt.
“Are we here?” Taylor asked from the back seat.
“Yes, we’re here.” She looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick.
“May I have some?” Taylor crawled up between the seats.
“Not right now, Taylor. I’m late for my meeting.”
“But, Mommy, you’re putting it on.” She cocked her head to the side.
Lia turned to Taylor and quickly ran the applicator over her lips. “Now remember, you have to be very quiet. We’re going into a law office, and—”
“I know. I know,” Taylor said, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
“Come on. We’re late.” She got out of the car and waited for Taylor to do the same before picking up her briefcase and locking the door. She glanced at the meter, wondering if Sunday was a holiday. Deciding she couldn’t afford the luxury of finding out, she stopped next to the meter, digging in her wallet for quarters.
“Let me put them in.” Taylor tried to take the quarters from Lia’s hand.
“You can do one.” Lia handed her a single quarter before glancing at her watch. It was 11:15 a.m. Since learning her mother wasn’t available to watch Taylor, she’d gone back and forth on whether or not to even show up today. By the time she’d decided she should, she barely managed to get the two of them ready and out of the house.
“I’m cold,” Taylor said.
Lia slipped the remaining quarters into the meter. “Where’s your hat?” She walked back towards the car. “Stay right there.” She opened the car door and reached into the back seat and grabbed a colorful knit hat. “Here you go.” She pulled it down over Taylor’s head.
“What about my gloves?” Taylor asked as they walked towards the office building.
“You don’t need them, it’s just a short walk.” She picked up their pace, feeling cold herself as the wind swirled around them. It was in the midthirties, but the wind chill made it feel at least twenty degrees colder, and by the time they reached the building, she felt half-frozen. “Here we are.” She opened a glass door and ushered Taylor inside.
“May I help you, Miss?”
Her gaze swung to two men near a bank of elevators approximately thirty feet away. One she assumed was the owner of the voice, an elderly black man wearing a dark uniform, and the other—her eyes met and locked with the eyes of the other. He was the man she’d seen on Anderson Cooper a couple of months prior. “I—I’m here to see an attorney at Prossi, Stuart and Craig,” she said, hesitating just inside the door.
“Ms. Merrick?” The man from Anderson Cooper didn’t take his eyes from hers as he closed the short distance between them.
“Yes,” she said, unable to drop his gaze.
“I’m Joseph Craig.” He held out his hand.
“You are?” Her eyes opened wider as she slipped her hand into his. He was extraordinary. The television didn’t capture his full essence. She felt her mouth grow dry as she continued to look into his eyes.
He narrowed his gaze. “Have we met?”
“Yes.” Lia shook her head. “I mean no. I saw you on CNN a few months ago.”
“You were there?” He was still holding her hand.
“No.” She smiled. “On television.”
He continued to meet her eyes. “Why don’t we go up to my office?” he said, finally releasing her hand.
“Oh, Taylor.” She suddenly remembered Taylor, who was silently standing beside them. “I couldn’t find a sitter so I had to bring my daughter. I tried to call to reschedule, but there was just a recording and I didn’t want to stand you up, so…” She trailed off when she realized he was no longer listening.
Joseph Craig was bent down on one knee in his expensive suit and cashmere coat, smiling at Taylor. “You’re beautiful,” he said softly. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Taylor.”
“Hi, Taylor, I’m Joseph.” He shook her hand. “How old are you?”
“Five,” she said after a short hesitation. “I’m in kindergarten.”
“Is that all? I thought you were going to say you were in second grade.”
Taylor beamed. “I’m tall for my age.”
“I can see that. Are you ready for Santa Claus to come?”
She gave him an exaggerated nod. “I can’t wait,” she said, and then began to recite her Christmas list.
Lia watched the exchange silently, impressed by his ability to bring out the usually shy Taylor. Taylor appeared outgoing while she talked to Joseph Craig, her little body animated as she described the different presents she knew Santa would bring.
After a minute or two he stood up. “She’s the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“After you.” He held out his hand towards the elevators.
Lia took Taylor’s hand and slowly walked in the direction he indicated, conscious of his presence behind them.
“Would you push the up arrow for me, Taylor?”
Taylor pressed the button and darted onto the elevator as soon as the doors opened. “Look, Mommy, sixteen floors!”
Joseph followed Lia onto the elevator and then inserted a key into a slot above the floor buttons and turned it to the right.
“What are you doing?” Taylor asked.
“I’m releasing a lock so the elevator will be able to open on our floor.” He pulled the key out and looked down at her. “Can you reach sixteen, Taylor?”
“I think so.” She stepped up on her tiptoes and managed to reach the button. “I did it. I did it.”
“Good job,” Lia said, her eyes meeting Joseph’s. She breathed in deeply, feeling overwhelmed by him.
“You’re tall,” Taylor said. “Much taller than my daddy.”
Joseph smiled down at Taylor. “Maybe you’ll be as tall as me one day.”
She laughed. “Girls aren’t as tall as boys.”
“No? I guess they aren’t.” His eyes again found Lia’s. “Your mommy’s very tall.”
“Not as tall as you,” Taylor said.
“No, she’s not,” he agreed, his eyes not leaving Lia’s.
The elevator door opened. It took him a moment to react and then he was holding the door open with his hand and motioning for them to precede him into the lobby.
“Wow,” Taylor said, spinning in a full circle as she looked around. “Look, Mommy, a waterfall!” She ran to investigate a rocky fountain beside a seating area with leather couches and chairs.
“I brought my computer so she can watch a movie,” Lia said as she stopped beside Joseph in front of a reception desk.
“We can feed it to the projector in the conference room beside my office. That way she can watch it on a big screen.” He was again meeting her eyes.
Lia could feel her hands clamming up. She felt like she was standing beside a movie star instead of an attorney, but there was something so familiar, so appealing about him. And it wasn’t only his looks. He was magnetic. And then for the first time since meeting him, she remembered Kathy Paige. He was dating a supermodel. A wave of disappointment rocked through her body. She sighed, disgusted by the line of her thoughts—hadn’t she learned anything?
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.” She forced herself to smile.
Ten minutes later, Taylor was situated in the conference room, watching a movie on the flat-screen television, a soda and cookies before her on the table, while Lia accompanied Joseph to his office next door.
“Let me take your coat,” he said, moving up behind her. As his hands touched her shoulders, she felt an urge to lean back against him. She closed her eyes, willing herself to get under control.
“Thank you,” she said softly before taking a seat in one of the two chairs facing his large cherrywood desk.
He hung up his own coat before taking the seat behind his desk and opening his briefcase. “I’ll be right with you,” he said as he began removing some files.
She felt a degree better with the distance between them. She looked around his posh office, admiring the exposed-brick walls and abstract paintings. The room was warm and masculine, like the man sitting behind the desk. And then the reality of why she was sitting across from him hit her and she had a desire to flee, not knowing if she could discuss such a personal matter with him. It had been hard enough with his colleagues.
“Thank you for coming in on a Sunday,” he said.
Lia looked down at her hands, willing herself to start thinking of him as her lawyer instead of a man. After her recent experience with Eric Nettles, it was disconcerting to feel such an attraction to a complete stranger.
“Are you okay?” The soothing timbre of his voice had her lifting her eyes.
“Yes.” She nodded. “This is—it’s awkward discussing this. It’s something I’d like to forget ever happened.”
“I imagine you would, and hopefully this will be the last time you have to discuss it.” His eyes were warm, and Lia felt herself relaxing.
“You don’t see this making it to a courtroom?”
“No.” His eyes remained locked with hers. “Not based on what I heard from your friend, Claudia.”
“She isn’t my friend.”
“Your coworker,” he corrected. “Based on what I’ve heard, this case will never see the inside of a courtroom.”
Lia narrowed her eyes. “Then why did you agree to take it?”
“Why?” He hesitated, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “I like a challenge. This is going to be difficult to prove.”
“But if it’s never going to make it to a courtroom, I’m confused as to why you’re interested. I mean, what’s in it for you?”
“If I can find proof to back up your allegations, I’m sure Zurtech would be willing to pay a nice settlement for your pain and suffering.”
“I’m more interested in exposing them, so they’ll stop recruiting and humiliating innocent women,” she said. “It was Claudia’s idea to retain your firm. I thought we should go to the police.”
“You didn’t, though?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Claudia talked me into coming here first.”
“Good. Don’t go to the police.” He opened a drawer and took out the small recorder. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“I like to record so I don’t have to take notes during my meetings.”
“This whole incident repulses me, and the thought of it being recorded…I can’t.” She dropped her eyes.
“I understand.” He slipped the recorder back into the drawer. “I’ll just take notes then.” He watched her for a long moment. “Are we okay?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I know this is hard for you.” He waited for her to lift her gaze before continuing. “Would you like something to drink— something to settle your nerves?”
“Scotch,” she said. She’d never had scotch, but she saw the bottle when they first entered the office.
He raised his eyebrows, hesitating only a moment before standing up and crossing to the bar on the other side of the office. “Ice or water?”
“Uh, how do you normally drink it?”
“I drink it neat, but—”
“Neat is fine,” she said, not knowing what it even meant.
“Here you go,” he said moments later, handing her a highball glass a quarter full of scotch.
“Thank you.” She watched him resume his seat as she brought the drink to her lips. She took a swallow, grimacing as it burned her throat.
“Take smaller sips,” he said, watching her. “It’s made to be sipped.”
“Sorry.” She breathed in deeply, avoiding his eyes. She took another sip of the strong liquid, this time forcing herself not to react. Within a few minutes, she could feel a calm beginning to settle in, and then she was looking across the desk and meeting his eyes.
“Can you tell me what happened?” His deep voice sounded almost soothing to her ears.
“Yes.” She nodded and began to talk.
One hour, one and a half glasses of scotch and two interruptions by Taylor later, Lia was describing the final reception she attended. “And I followed him back. And there he was, having sex with Claudia and Carmen at the same time.” Her voice was light, but devoid of emotion.
“And then what did you do?”
“I went to the bathroom and threw up. And then I went home.”
She watched him from across the desk. His head was bent as he wrote something on the legal pad. Her eyes dropped to his hands. His fingers were long and his nails were perfectly manicured. Her eyes traced the veins running up the back of his hands. She imagined those hands touching her. She lifted the glass of scotch to her mouth and finished it in two gulps.
“Do you want more?”
Her eyes met his. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Not unless you’re offering to drive me home.”
“I don’t mind.”
As she met his eyes, she had no doubt he meant it. “No, thank you.” She dropped her eyes to her hands. She’d already had more than was prudent and was feeling a warm buzz as a result. “Should I continue?”
“If you’re ready.”
“The next day when I arrived at work, I confronted Claudia. We weren’t exactly close, but we had lunch together sometimes and she knew I was dating Eric. I couldn’t understand why she would do that.”
“And what did she say?”
“She told me the truth,” she said. “She told me everything: the bonus system, the clients, the parties. Everything finally made sense.”
“What do you mean? ‘Finally made sense’?”
“Why Carmen was making so much money when she appeared completely incompetent. Why all the B2Bs seemed to be in competition with each other. Why there were so many beautiful women. Why Stan transferred out perfectly good employees. I wasn’t really even interviewed for the position. He didn’t ask me any questions about my skills. He just looked at me and then told me about the position. It was all so obvious once I knew the truth.”
“So you quit?”
“Yes, I quit. I gave him a week’s notice. I would have left that day, but I wanted to see if I could find proof.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And did you?”
“No. There’s no proof. That’s why I was surprised you wanted to see us.” She stood, restless, and could definitely feel the alcohol in her system. “Tell me what I’m missing, Mr. Craig.”
“Call me Joseph,” he said, his gaze following her as she crossed the office and stopped at the window.
“What am I missing, Joseph?” She stared at the US Capitol, visible in the distance. “I’m here because I’m angry and I want Zurtech to stop what they’re doing, but I don’t see how you’re going to be able to make that happen.”
“What they’re doing is illegal.”
“But doesn’t that mean it’s a criminal and not a civil matter? Shouldn’t we be going to the police?”
“The two aren’t exclusive of each other. And I don’t believe you have enough information for the police to obtain a warrant.”
“Well, how can we get enough?”
“That’s my job to figure out.”
She turned, her eyes meeting his. He was leaned back in his chair, one ankle resting on the other leg, a pen twirling between his fingers.
“There isn’t a jury in this country that’s going to give us money,” she said.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Claudia knowingly slept with clients for money. That makes her a prostitute.”
“True, and that’s illegal.”
“Of course it’s illegal, but she knew what she was doing.”
“You didn’t,” he said. “And I’m handling your cases separately.”
She turned back to the window. “I’ll come across as a woman scorned. There’s no proof I was being used as a perk for clients.” Just saying the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Joseph came to his feet and crossed the office. “You were an uninformed participant.”
Lia turned, surprised to hear his voice so close. He was at the bar, pouring himself a glass of water. “But the only thing that makes me different than any other woman who sleeps with a man is I received a hefty bonus as a direct result.”
“This Eric. He knew the system?”
“Oh, yes. According to Claudia, he targeted all the new women.” She turned back to the window. “He was a regular.”
“Have you heard from him since that night?” He was beside her, his eyes moving over her profile as she looked out the window.
“No, he got what he wanted and moved on.”
“And you’re sure Zurtech doesn’t know why you quit?”
She nodded. “And that’s one of my regrets.”
“What’s that?” Barely a foot separated them. “What do you regret?”
“That I didn’t confront him.” She could smell his scented aftershave, and realized how close they were standing. “I should have confronted Stan Hall, and told him what a despicable excuse for a person he is.”
“It’s better that you didn’t.”
“I guess, but it would have made me feel better.” She turned to walk back to the chair and felt unsteady.
“Easy,” he said, gripping both sides of her hips with his hands.
“Sorry.” She clasped his arms to steady herself and lifted her eyes to his. She felt like a deer with its eyes caught in the headlights, a now familiar feeling of awareness coursing through her body. She couldn’t remember ever having such a physical reaction to a man. She shouldn’t have had the second glass of scotch. She was no longer thinking clearly. “I—I need to sit down,” she whispered. “I just felt a little dizzy.” And then she was stepping around him and fleeing back to her chair.
Joseph slowly followed and took the chair beside hers instead of behind his desk. He watched her in silence for several seconds before speaking again. “Do you think higher-ups at Zurtech were involved?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I assume Stan was acting alone.”
“Why do you assume that?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t imagine something like this being corporate-wide. He was almost obsessed with knowing everything about these elite clients. And the files we compiled were available only to our division. He would want us to record every detail about their lives.”
“Such as?”
“Everything.” She reached for her briefcase and pulled out a manila folder. “I meant to show you these earlier.” She held out the file.
Joseph took the folder and opened it, his eyes scanning the first sheet, a spreadsheet with dozens of rows and columns. “What am I looking at?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he continued to study the sheet.
“That’s an elite-client profile.” She pulled the sheet back from him and turned it towards her, reading the name on top. “This is Alan West’s, from West to East Communications.” She leaned forward and spread it out on Joseph’s lap. “The client’s name is here.” She began running her finger along the top of the sheet, inadvertently touching his thigh through the paper. “And these columns”—she trailed her finger across the various columns and down several inches on his thigh—“list everything from their children’s names”—she paused as she poked the column heading—“to their country clubs”—again she poked the column heading—“to—”
“I get it,” Joseph said, abruptly coming to his feet, the sheets on his lap scattering to the floor. “Sorry, my fault.” He kneeled down and quickly gathered them up, dropping them on the chair and crossing to the bar, his back to her as he poured himself a glass of water. He quickly drank it down and then poured himself a second glass.
Lia watched him, wondering what had caused his sudden mood shift.
A couple of minutes passed, and then he was returning from the bar and sitting down behind his desk. “Okay. Where were we?”
“I was telling you about the elite-client files.” She picked up the papers from the now vacant chair and set them on his desk.
“Right.” He took a long swallow of water. “Why did you bring Alan West’s file?”
“I brought a few. They’re just samples so you could get a gist of the information we gather.”
“But why specifically is his part of the group?” He lifted up the spreadsheet.
“His was the first client file I was shown. Stan wanted all files to look like that one. Basically it was the template all elite files should be modeled after.”
Joseph studied the spreadsheet in silence for over a minute. “What do these names in the lower right corner represent?” He held the sheet out to her and she leaned forward, her eyes scanning the area he indicated.
“Those are the B2Bs who put information in that particular file.”
“So, would I assume he had sex with the three women listed here?” He lifted his eyes to hers.
“Maybe, but not necessarily. I added information to several of the files besides Eric’s, and I never had sex with those men.”
“Why did he need all this information?” He continued to study the sheet. “What purpose did it serve?”
“He wanted us to know them, so when we interacted with them it was more like they were our friends.”
“This is more information than I know about any of my friends. His siblings’ names and addresses? His children’s school?” He lifted his eyes. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s why I said he seemed almost obsessed with them.”
“Are these for me to keep?”
“Yes.” She leaned back in her chair, watching him as he slipped the spreadsheet back into the folder and then jotted a few things down on his legal pad.
“The woman from human resources who interviewed you,” he began, pausing as he flipped back a few pages in his notes, “this Cecile Mann. She’s obviously in on it.” He looked up from the page.
Lia frowned. “Why would you say that? I don’t—”
“As soon as she discovered how beautiful you are, she contacted Hall.”
Lia knew the alcohol in her system was the only reason she didn’t blush at his unexpected and matter-of-fact compliment. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because she was so nice,” she said and then instantly felt foolish, realizing how naïve she sounded. “I’m an idiot,” she sighed. “You’d think I would have learned by now.”
“Learned what?”
“Not to trust people.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why would you say that?”
“You’d have to know my history to understand.” The smile she gave him didn’t reach her eyes. “I seem to be missing the BS detector.”
“I don’t think you should fault yourself here,” he said, his voice low, almost gentle. “No one would have expected this at a corporation as large as Zurtech.” He tossed the legal pad back onto his desk.
“Most of the new hires were transferred out. They were smart enough not to date the clients.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes continuing to meet hers. “You’re very critical of yourself.”
“Yeah, well.” She shrugged. “At some point I have to stop being the victim.”
“So what are you doing now?”
“Hmm?” She frowned, not following him.
“Are you working again? Or are you going to take some time off?”
“I’m looking for a job. I can’t afford to take time off.”
“What would you like to do?”
“Not marketing.” Again she smiled without humor. “I’m good with numbers, so ideally a financial analyst position. I don’t have any experience though, so I’ll probably just try to find an entry-level position somewhere.”
“What geographic area? Northern Virginia?”
She nodded. “But at this point I don’t know how picky I can be. I just need a job.”
He leaned forward and opened his top desk drawer. “Send me your resume.” He slid his business card across the desk. “I have contacts.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to. I’ll be in touch after the holidays.”
“Thank you.”
“As far as the case is concerned, I’m going to do some research on my own, and then I’ll let you know how I think we should proceed.”
“Mommy, are you done yet?” Taylor’s voice preceded her entrance into the room. “My show’s over.”
“Yes, we were just finishing up.”
“I’m hungry,” Taylor said as she climbed into Lia’s lap.
“Do you have big plans for the holidays?” Joseph asked as he began to gather up his notes.
“Not really. We’re going to spend the night at my mother’s place. She lives a few minutes away.”
“And Santa Claus knows I’m going to be there,” Taylor said. “Mommy sent him a letter and told him.”
Joseph smiled at Taylor as he closed his briefcase. “Your mom’s a smart lady.”
“How about you?” Lia asked, deciding if it was okay for him to ask personal questions, she could as well.
“I’ll be in Gstaad, Switzerland over the holidays.” His eyes again met hers.
They lived in different worlds. “I’m sure it’ll be beautiful.” She wondered if he’d be with Kathy Paige. “We should go. I’m sure we’ve taken up enough of your Sunday.” She gently pushed Taylor off her lap and stood.
He walked around the desk and retrieved Lia’s coat from the rack beside his door before moving up behind her. “Thanks again for coming in,” he said as he helped her on with her coat.
“Are you a lawyer?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, I am a lawyer.”
“My daddy’s a lawyer,” Taylor said.
“Really?” Joseph glanced down at Taylor.
“Right, Mommy?”
Lia was facing him again. “That’s right.”
“Where does he work?” He took Taylor’s jacket from the rack and knelt down beside her.
“Blackman and Associates,” Lia said.
“Ned Merrick,” Joseph said. “I thought he worked for the DA’s office.” He finished fastening her coat and stood up.
“He changed sides a couple of years ago.”
“So your husband’s a lawyer.” His lips turned up in amusement.
“Ex,” Lia corrected. “I gather you know him?”
“I’ve met him.”
“Did you try a case against him?”
“Not personally, but my partners have.”
“I’m sure you don’t run in the same circles, but…” She hesitated. “I don’t want him to know about this.”
“Of course.” He watched her for a long moment. “Everything, including the fact you’re my client, is confidential.”
“Thank you.”
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Taylor said. “When are we going to eat?”
“Right now.” Lia glanced down at Taylor and stroked her hand down the back of her head. “You’ve been great today. And I noticed a restaurant right across from where I parked.”
“Let me take you to lunch,” Joseph offered.
“Yeah!” Taylor said, jumping up and down. “Let’s go to lunch with Joseph.”
Lia glanced at Taylor, surprised again at her reaction to this man who was a perfect stranger. “No, thank you.” Lia smiled politely as she met Joseph’s eyes. “That isn’t necessary.”
“I know it isn’t. I’d like to. It’s the least you can let me do after I dragged you in here on a Sunday.”
There were a thousand different reasons she should have said no, but at that moment, looking into his eyes, she couldn’t think of one. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Five minutes later, they were walking towards the lobby exit when the glass doors opened. Lia instantly recognized the woman entering the building. It was Kathy Paige, and as she strolled towards them it was painfully obvious pictures didn’t do her justice. Even dressed casually in blue jeans and a dark leather jacket, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, she was the most beautiful woman Lia had ever seen.
Joseph slowed his steps, almost coming to a stop as she approached.
“Surprise!” Seemingly unaware of the woman and child beside Joseph, Kathy wound her arms up around his neck and leaned her body into his, kissing him fully on the mouth. “I came to take you to lunch.” She pulled back slightly and moved her thumb over his lip to wipe off the trace of her lipstick.
“Kathy, I—”
“Thank you for everything,” Lia said, not looking at the couple as she reached for Taylor’s hand. “Come on, Taylor.” She hurried off towards the door.
Joseph cursed softly under his breath. “Wait! Lia, wait!” He stepped around Kathy and trotted after her. “Lia?” He caught up with her as she reached the glass doors. “I thought I was taking you to lunch.”
She raised her eyes to his. “It’s okay. You didn’t know your girlfriend was going to show up.”
“I told you I’d take the two of you to lunch.”
“It’s okay,” she said, forcing herself to smile. “We eat on our own all the time. We’ll be fine.” She pushed open the door. “Say goodbye to Mr. Craig, Taylor.”
Taylor held up her small hand and managed a light goodbye before her mother dragged her away.
Joseph dropped his chin to his chest as he sunk his hands into the pockets of his coat.
“Who were they?” Kathy asked as she stopped beside him. “Who was the woman?”
“A client. I told you I had a meeting today, remember?”
“Yes.” She stepped in front of him and gripped the lapels of his coat. “But I missed you.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips. “And it looks like my timing was perfect.”
Hours later, Joseph sat behind the desk in his study, looking over his notes from his meeting with Lia Merrick. He took off his reading glasses and tossed them on his desk, leaning back in his chair as he stared, unfocused, at the ceiling. Moments later he was glancing at his watch and then reaching for his cell phone.
“Sam. It’s Joseph Craig…Great…Good…No, just tying up some loose ends before the holidays. I need you to check something out for me…No, it can wait until after the holidays…Right…I have some information and I need your help finding the proof. If you need to hire additional help, don’t share anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.” He went on to explain what he knew about Zurtech. “Oh, one more thing, Sam,” he said as they were ending the call. “I want you to do a complete background on someone for me…Lia Merrick.”
Twenty miles away in Tyson’s Corner, Lia was sipping red wine while she flipped through images of Joseph Craig on her laptop. There were pictures of him on the rowing and debate teams at Yale, pictures of him with Supreme Court justices and dozens of pictures of him with beautiful women. It would have been so much easier if he’d been full of himself. Then she wouldn’t have thought about him incessantly all day and typed him into her search engine as soon as Taylor was in bed. But there was something about him. She sighed as she trailed her index finger over the image of him on her computer screen. He had the nicest eyes. What if his girlfriend hadn’t shown up? She would have had lunch with him. She closed her computer. He was dating a supermodel, and she’d sworn off men. Why was she even fantasizing about him?