OBSESSED WITH TAYLOR JAMES (2 page)

Mario stood docile after witnessing what unfolded before him
and said, “Thanks, Dillon, and congratulations on making Partner.”

Nodding, Dillon, headed towards the door. “Todd, I’m going
to call Anderson and get the ball rolling on Electric Tech.  I want to get a
jump on this to avoid the drama we had with them last time.  Thank you again
for trusting me with this project.”

“Mr. Stevenson, don’t leave yet,” Todd said, folding his
arms outwardly upset by Dillon’s strange behavior.  “Mario, can you give me a
second with Dillon and Taylor?”

He obliged by moving towards the door. “Take all the time
you need.  If I can remember where my office is located, I’ll go get settled.”

Embarrassed, Todd walked with him to the door.  “My
assistant, Corrine will take you to your office; I’ll be down shortly to take
you on a tour around the firm.”

Mario smiled at the older woman holding a basket filled with
office supplies. “I will see you later.” He looked back at Taylor, who had lost
the sparkle in her eyes and Dillon, who seemed disheartened about his
promotion.  “It was nice meeting both of you and I look forward to working with
you.  Adios,” he bid as his eyes lingered with Taylor.

Taylor smiled gushing on the inside.  Hispanic men were her
weakness.  Certainly she would need a crash course in Spanish to understand
what he was saying if he ever lapsed into his native tongue.  Although she
loved the men and their culture, she never took the time to learn the language
fluently.  “I’ll come to your office later so we can talk shop,” she said
flirting.

Todd waited for the door to close and perched himself in
front of his desk as he addressed Dillon.  “I am at a loss on what to say,
Dillon.  We’ll meet later to discuss what happened in front of Mr. Infante. 
Please make sure you are available.”

“I have to get those files together for Mr. Infante.” Dillon
was gone without giving a verbal confirmation for Todd’s request or explanation
for his behavior.

Taylor released a nervous breath surprised by Dillon’s
bizarreness.  But he was her friend, and she needed to defend his oddness. 
“You have to excuse Dillon.  He is under a lot of pressure with planning his
wedding plus; we’ve been working practically around the clock.  Besides Gallop,
we have other cases we have been juggling.  He is just stressed and nowhere
near as peculiar as he presented himself in front of Mr. Infante.”

Todd walked around his desk to sit down. “Right, he is
getting married next year.  Maybe Anderson should not have committed him to
such an important project right now.”

“No, Todd, don’t take it away from him now.  The wedding is
a year away, and Dillon has scheduled a week of vacation in August.  Once he’s
had time to relax and unwind, he will be his glorious self again.”

Todd removed his glasses. “He is an excellent attorney,
Taylor.  But, you have also pulled his ass out of the fire on occasion.  I know
he is your friend and you two have a history outside of the firm, but don’t
make excuses for him.  Anderson pushed for his promotion; I was against it.”

Taylor dropped her head.  She was one of only two black
attorneys employed by the firm.  The firm only employed ten minority attorneys
of the fifty-five attorneys in all.  Mario Infante made the first Hispanic and
tenth minority.

“Todd, I won’t say I’m surprised.  Anderson will promote
every associate under me before I make Partner.  But, I’m not bitter because I
know I am good, and when other firms hear how good I am, he will be sorry he
lost me to a competitor.”

“Taylor, I’ve stated such to him.  I have gone to bat to get
you where you belong.  Last year, I wanted you promoted to Partner, but
Anderson would not budge.  Why you continue to stay and work under these
conditions is beyond me, but I do appreciate your dedication and hard work you
exhibit towards our clients.”

“I stay because you appreciate me.  My commitment is due to
my love for my work. Todd, I’m not making any promises, but I am open for other
opportunities.  If one comes along, I’m gone.  I may be dedicated, but I refuse
to be over forty and an associate.  I will not be receptive of a paralegal, who
returned to school to get a law degree, be promoted over me.”

“That would never happen, Taylor.”

 She snorted a laugh. “Don’t count anything out.  I did not
mentor at this firm.  I was hired in as a lateral just as Dillon, and he made
Partner early.”

“Your accusations are warranted, Taylor.  Anderson is the
Controlling Partner of the firm. I can’t overrule him.  I have tried as far as
you are concerned.  I didn’t want you to find out about Dillon’s promotion this
way, but he was coercing me, and I had to tell him.”

She shook her head leaning in across his desk to look him
dead in the eye.  “I’m not mad at Dillon or you.  I’m putting it on record that
my options are open, and I feel no loyalty towards Anderson Cartwright.”

The older man rubbed his forehead. “I have it noted.”

“Good.  I also know not to bother opening the email
regarding the new partnerships announcements since Dillon has made it, and Mr.
Infante came in with the status.  There was only a place for two new partners
for the coming year, and they are now filled.”

“Overall you are being a good sport about this, Taylor.  I
promise; the next partner to leave the firm; you have the spot, even if I have
to die to get it for you.”

“Don’t make me any promises, Todd.” She straightened her
body and leveled down the creases of her dress.  “And, I am not being a good
sport at all.  Dillon is my friend. I’m thrilled for his success.  Mr. Infante,
on the other hand, just doesn’t know what he is getting himself into, and I’m
not going to be the one to shed any bad light about this firm to him.  He will
find out for himself how his nationality, and not his exceptional skills as an
attorney, got him this job.  Just like me, he is here to fill a quota.”

Todd’s glare bore into her. “Taylor, those are pretty strong
words.  I respect your anger, but we are not breaking any laws, so tread very
carefully.”

“I understand the laws of Ohio.  And this firm can do
whatever they want at their discretion.” She sauntered to the door, tossing her
hair over her shoulder.  “I feel sorry for Mr. Infante.  He is a brilliant
attorney with exceptional skills. It’s unbelievable he is stuck on the Gallop
case with me because the firm needs to show two minorities can handle a
non-complex case.”

“Taylor!”

“Let me finish.  Gallop will settle for no more than a
million dollars.  The case is beneath Mr. Infante’s experience, and mine.  It
will wrap in less than a month.  I know I am being blunt when I say this, but
Mr. Infante should lead Electric Tech and not Dillon if Anderson is trying to
impress someone.”

“I didn’t hire Mr. Infante and don’t make any trouble for
him please.”

“I’m not trying to make trouble for Mr. Infante; I’m
protecting Dillon.  I agree Dillon is a good attorney, but not to guide
Electric Tech.  The money demanded by the plaintiff’s in that case can go as
high as four or five hundred million dollars.  Dillon doesn’t have the
experience to take that into a courtroom and win it, Todd.  But, Mario Infante
does and has the credentials to prove he can win big cases in court.”

“Anderson believes Dillon has the passion and drive to
defend Electric Tech and win.  He will be assisting Dillon and does have a good
track record for winning also.”

She gave a discomforting laugh. “You saw firsthand how well
Dillon is handling pressure lately; triple that stress with Anderson breathing
down his neck.  Anyhow, why do I care? I’m not at risk of losing anything.  But
watching Dillon become the fall-guy for Anderson Cartwright is something I am
not willing to do.”

“Taylor, we aren’t doing that.  Dillon will rise to the occasion
and come out with a victory.  He just needs to refocus—you also said that.”

“I said he needs to refocus on his work—not be thrown
blindfolded to the wolves.”

Todd’s eyes showed age as he pleaded with her.  “I’m
retiring soon.  Please let me finish out my days and then go to battle with
Anderson and whoever takes my place.”

“I’m not going to cause a stir in the dirty waters, Todd.  I
will do my job regardless of my overlooked promotions.  Well, I don’t want to
keep Mr. Infante waiting any longer.  The sooner he is introduced to the crap
he will be doing, the sooner he can contact his former firm and request to come
back.”

Todd slouched in his chair watching her sashay from his
office.  Opening a desk drawer, he removed a bottle of aspirin tapping two from
the bottle and swallowing them dry. His stomach would soon erupt and remind him
that aspirin is not the drug of choice when suffering from peptic ulcers.  But,
he needed something strong and fast to cure the headache pounding behind his
eyes and alcohol was off limits.

*****

Taylor finally made it to Mario’s office after 5:00
o’clock.  With Dillon in meetings with Anderson all afternoon and afterwards
the celebration dinner for the new partner, she was elated not to be included
on the guest list.  Even if she had been, she would have declined the offer.

She knocked on Mario’s door that was slightly ajar. “Hello?
May I enter?”

Mario Infante was standing at the window observing the view
when he turned around at the sound of her voice. “Please come in and have a
seat, Ms. James.”

Taylor had not met a man whose smile brightened his whole
face or had dazzling features that sent chills down the base of her legs until
now. His long black lashes and thick eyebrows did not clash with the light
color of his skin.  He possessed a succulent full mouth and lips she deemed
kissable.  Regaining stability in her legs, she entered and closed the door
behind her.  The light scent of his cologne lingered in the air of the warm
empty office.  It alone made her knees tremble as she moved across the floor to
hurry and sit in a chair.

Safely seated she said, “I’m sorry I’m getting to you so
late in the day.  I wanted to check on you earlier, but work got in my way and
then you were out making acquaintances with other attorneys.  Are you getting
settled?” She asked with her voice cracking.  She hurried to clear her throat
of the jumpiness.

“Ah, I am getting accustomed to my surroundings.  Thank you
for checking on me.”  He tugged the pleat in his trouser upward before sitting
down in his chair never taking his eyes off her.

She wished he would stop looking at her that way.  His dark
eyes pierced her soul and caressed her in spots that made her seep
uncontrollably.  A man hadn’t had that effect on her in eons.

She crossed her legs.  She knew he would get the full view
of their length from where he sat. “So, is there anything I can help you with? 
I’m free to work this evening if you want to get started on the Gallop case.”

He nodded holding his gaze on her and rubbing his hands together
as if to warm them. “We could do that or we could get to know each other a
little.  I will start with myself.  I am from San Juan, Puerto Rico. My family
settled in Miami when I was a child.  Although I have lived in Miami for the
majority of my life, Spanish was the only language spoken in my home;
therefore, my accent is very noticeable to other people.  If I’m speaking too
fast, don’t be afraid to ask me to slow down.”

Taylor squared her shoulders to show interest. “Please, go
on.”

He smiled opening his mouth enough to reveal perfect teeth.
“All right, I am a Harvard grad, and after doing a long stint at my last firm,
I’m here where I plan to stay until another opportunity unseats me.”

Taylor raised her eyebrow, impressed. “Well, that is
impressive, Mr. Infante.  You’ve gift-wrapped yourself in a pretty package but
omitted a few details.  But those will get filled in eventually.”

“Enlighten me. What details did I omit that you would like
to know?”  His grin was mischievous and sultry for a man.

Unconsciously she brushed her hair away from her shoulder,
lifting it off the back of her neck.  The air was off in his office, and the
room was uncomfortably warm and stuffy.  The heat from her hair had settled on
the back of her neck.  She wanted to take off her suit jacket but that would be
too impulsive of a move.  She would suffer with the sweating rather than appear
to be coming onto him.

Finally, she answered, “Well, how did you end up in
Cleveland?  And do you have family here?”

He stood up and removed his suit jacket, obviously aware of
the elevated temperature in the office.  “Opportunities and change of scenery
are my reasons for being in Cleveland.  And, I don’t have any family living
here.  I think of the many friends I have made over the years as my family.”

Taylor’s heart thumped in her ears.  The man was built like
a Greek God, and too damn good-looking to be real. The crisp white shirt tucked
inside the waist of his trousers made her salivate.  His athletically built
body hosted broad shoulders, a narrow waistline, and squeezable buttocks from
what she could see when he briefly turned around to drape his jacket over the
back of his chair.

The cuffs of the tailored shirt were linked together with
gold cufflinks, matching the tie clip attached to the silk pinstriped black
tie. His pitch-black hair was neatly cut, shiny, and straight.  She fought the
urge to touch her lip to make sure she was not drooling.  She tore her eyes
away when he suddenly caught her staring.

“Are you okay, Ms. James?  I realize the office is a tad
warm.  I’ve called maintenance to check on the air conditioning.”

She blinked giving a feeble attempt at a smile. “Yes, it is
warm in here but I’m okay.”

“Remove your jacket and get comfortable.  I don’t mind,” he
said leaning back in his chair.  Her removing the jacket would not only be for
her benefit but him, as well.  He wanted to get a better look at the stunning
woman sitting across from him.