Lawful Deception Read online

  “Yeah, right.” I scan the petition again. “It says here the child was born in January of this year and she’s three months old.” I glance skyward and do the math in my head. “Let’s see...Assuming a nine-month pregnancy, that would place conception sometime in April of last year.”

  “Exactly. The kid can’t be mine. We broke up in February, eleven months before she was born. I remember because it was two weeks before Valentine’s Day.”

  “Maybe your timing is off.”

  “It’s not.”

  “And there were no hookups after that?”

  “Nope.” He brushes the lapel of his Canali suit, then raises his right hand. “Scout’s honor.”

  “I still don’t understand why you don’t want to wait for the test results before approaching her. You’d be in a much better negotiating position.”

  “I’m taking the test tomorrow, but it could be a couple of weeks before I get the results. I want this thing resolved yesterday.”

  His cell phone chirps again. He grunts and picks it up. “Excuse me a second.”

  His long fingers awkwardly tap the screen. I assume he’s sending an email or text message. Another minute or so passes before he looks up, his face full of annoyance.

  “Uh, that was Mia calling from the lobby.” He scratches his jaw. “She’s on her way up.”

  “Hmmm. So it’s your fiancée who’s running this show.”

  “Not really. Well, I mean—”

  I’m not used to seeing the smooth-talking Fletcher McClain at a loss for words. He moves to the edge of the chair. The relaxed air we’d been basking in has been sapped from the room.

  “The real deal is Mia wants me to sue Bliss for defamation. She thinks I’m meeting with you to talk about the defamation case. But I think it makes more sense to give Bliss a few dollars to disappear.”

  “Okay, now I get it.”

  “Let’s keep that under our hat. And, um,” he rubs his chin, “Mia’s a bit on the jealous side. Let’s not mention that we used to be an item, okay?”

  Fletcher was never the type of guy who’d let his woman call the shots. This alpha dog has turned into a poodle.

  “No problem. Our conversations are attorney-client privileged.”

  Fletcher straightens in his chair. “Oh, so I’m your client? Great!”

  I raise both hands, palms out. “I haven’t committed yet. But your fiancée can’t—”

  “Just flow with me on this, okay? I’ll handle Mia. You just play along.” His confident charm reminds me of the first time we met over a decade ago.

  I was walking across campus when Fletcher stopped me with a corny pick-up line.

  “Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk by again?”

  I’d never met a white guy—certainly not one as gorgeous as Fletcher McClain—who had the swagger of a brother. After a bit of prodding, I agreed to meet him for lunch.

  And here he is still charming me more than a decade later.

  My assistant pokes her head in the door. “I have a lady out here who says she—”

  The door flies open and a woman bustles past Deena into my office.

  A perfectly coiffed, black beauty marches right up to my desk and peers down at me. I have to push my chair back to get her out of my personal space.

  “You better be a barracuda,” she says, firing her words at me. “Because that’s the kind of attorney we need to show that scandalous slut Bliss Fenton that she’s playing with fire.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Bliss swung her silver Audi into the parking lot of the Ralph’s supermarket on Lincoln Boulevard, cut off the engine, then held up her hand in an appeal for silence.

  “No lecture this time, okay?” Bliss turned to face her best and only friend sitting in the passenger seat.

  Jessica Winthrop took in a long breath. “Only if you agree to act like a civilized human being today.”

  For three months now, Bliss and her ex-boyfriend, Dr. Joseph Franco, had been meeting in this public location to transfer their six-year-old son Aiden from one parent to the other. Their relationship was so antagonistic that a judge had declared their respective homes off limits.

  “Aren’t you tired of all the drama?” Jessica asked.

  “I really wish you would criticize that asshole as much as you do me.”

  “He’s not my friend. You are. Just let it go.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.”

  Though she was nothing short of a plain Jane—long, reddish-brown hair, an unremarkable face and the physique of an undernourished pear—Jessica had snagged the kind of man Bliss had spent her whole life maneuvering to marry. Paul Winthrop was a successful venture capitalist. After marrying him, Jessica gave up her career as a bank manager.

  “You two have a beautiful son together,” Jessica said, glancing toward the backseat at her sleeping godson. “You need to think about Aiden’s best interests.”

  Bliss pointed at the clock on the dashboard. “The asshole is seven minutes late.”

  “How about we use his name today? Just for practice.”

  Bliss rolled her eyes.

  Jessica was the only constant in Bliss’ sad life. Their friendship dated back to freshman year in high school. While every other girl at Winchester High had shunned the gorgeous blonde newcomer with the sexy name, Jessica had reached out to her, never concerned that her own light didn’t shine nearly as brightly as Bliss’.

  Jessica pressed her hands together in a prayer pose. “Promise me this’ll be a drama-free exchange. Pretty please.”

  Bliss spotted Joseph pulling into the lot and slapped her hand against the dashboard. “I can’t believe it! That asshole has a new car!”

  Jessica cupped her forehead. “Bliss, please don’t—”

  “That Benz had to cost almost a hundred grand. That’s probably why he was three days late with my child support last month. And why is she with him again? I’ll never understand what he sees in her. She has the face of a rodent.”

  Jessica got out and unbuckled Aiden from his car seat. “Just behave yourself.”

  Once Aiden was out of the car, Bliss squatted so they were at eye level. “You be a good boy, okay? You scream for Mommy if Daddy does anything bad to you.”

  Jessica exhaled. “Please stop putting that nonsense in his head.”

  “And you make sure you don’t let anybody touch you down there. You scream if they—”

  “That’s enough.” Jessica grabbed Aiden’s hand and started marching him across the parking lot. When they were a yard away, he squirmed free and jumped into his father’s arms.

  Dr. Joseph Franco was an orthopedic surgeon whose patients included an impressive list of professional athletes. He was a tall, gregarious man with bushy blonde hair. Today, anxiety contorted his face.

  “Hey, Jessica. Thanks for being our go-between again. I’ll have him back on Sunday by five. I’ll call you if I’m running late.”

  “No you won’t!” Bliss stood just a few feet away. “If you’re late, I’m calling the cops.”

  “I’m not biting today,” Joseph said, mostly to himself. He finished securing Aiden into his car seat and closed the door.

  “And why is that cunt here?” Bliss shouted.

  “I’ve asked you before to watch your language around Aiden. And if you call Lena out of her name one more time, I’ll be the one calling the cops.”

  Jessica gripped Bliss by the forearm and started tugging her toward the car. “Okay, everybody, let’s all go to our respective corners.”

  “By the way,” Bliss yelled back at him, “since you can afford to buy a new car, Mr. Successful Orthopedic Surgeon, I’m going back to court to ask for more child support. You’re obviously doing a lot better than you claimed the last time we were in court.”

  The th
reat stopped Joseph in place. He stormed up to her.

  “If you need more money, get a job,” he seethed. “I’m already paying you ten grand a month and I’m struggling like hell to do that.”

  “From the looks of your new ride, you don’t seem to be struggling at all.”

  “Can you act like a decent human being for five seconds? Just five measly seconds.”

  “Just tell your attorney I’ll be asking the court to amend our child support order.” Bliss flashed him a smug smile.

  Joseph reflexively balled his fists. “I’ll kill you before I pay you another dime.”

  “Did you hear that, Jessica? He just threatened my life!”

  Joseph shook his head and slowly backed away. “Get her away from me.”

  As Joseph climbed into his car and sped off, Jessica chastised Bliss with a frown.

  “I should be the one in that car with him,” Bliss sniffed, her voice cracking. “I’m the fabulous one.”

  Jessica threw an arm around her friend.

  “Nothing good is going to come into your life until you change the way you treat people,” Jessica said, trying to be gentle. “Kindness attracts kindness.”

  “I don’t want to hear that crap!” Bliss snapped, pulling away from her. “When people screw over me, I screw them back. And speaking of getting screwed, Mia and Fletcher are about to get theirs.”

  Jessica threw up her hands. “Why are you constantly causing drama?”

  Bliss laughed wickedly. “Because I’m good at it.”

  CHAPTER 3

  It takes me a tad under two seconds to realize that I don’t like the soon-to-be Mrs. Fletcher McClain. I will never understand how the greatest guys end up with the bitchiest women.

  After grudgingly shaking my hand, Mia sits down in the chair next to Fletcher and starts calling the shots.

  “I’m sure Fletcher told you I’m a corporate attorney,” Mia says. “I plan on being very involved in the case. How soon can we see a draft of the complaint?”

  Mia does not give me time to answer her first question before firing off another one.

  “And what kind of experience do you have litigating defamation cases?”

  I wait for Fletcher to shut her down, but to my surprise, the big music mogul doesn’t open his mouth.

  “As I was just telling Fletcher,” I begin, “since he’s my client, it’s best that I deal only with him. If you—”

  “Fletcher doesn’t have a problem with my being involved.” She reaches over and pats his thigh. “I have a stake in this too.”

  “Well, I’ll make sure you’re involved when it’s appropriate to do so.”

  Mia’s head tilts sideways at the same time her lips flat-line. “You don’t seem to understand. I’m here to help. You’ll need all the firepower you can get against Bliss. She’s a very vicious woman.”

  And apparently so are you.

  I clear my throat. “Let me discuss this with my client and—”

  “We’re both your clients. I’m about to be his wife.”

  Fletcher finally finds his voice. “C’mon, babe.” He takes Mia’s hand. “We have to let Vernetta handle this her way. If she needs your help, she’ll ask.”

  I don’t like this little farce, but I continue to play along. For now.

  “I’d like to refer you to a friend who has extensive experience defending high-profile child support cases.”

  I hit a few keys on my computer, searching for the attorney’s name. “You’ll need to understand your rights and obligations if it turns out the child is yours.”

  Mia’s eyes bug out like a startled cartoon character.

  “Excuse me? If? There’s no way Fletcher is the father of Bliss’ bastard baby. She’s just trying to wreck my life. If you don’t believe in this case, maybe you aren’t the right lawyer for us.”

  I wait for Fletcher to calm her down, but once again, he remains mute.

  Who is this man?

  “Maybe you and Fletcher should discuss what you’d like to do and get back to me.”

  Fletcher pulls Mia close. “Honey, we’ve already discussed this. I want Vernetta to handle this for us. She’s a brilliant lawyer and, on top of that, I trust her. She’s just doing her job. Covering all the bases.”

  Mia starts to tear up. “Nobody understands what I’m going through. Bliss has to pay for this. You don’t know how manipulative she is. This isn’t the first time she’s pulled something like this.”

  “Really? It could be helpful to the defamation case if she set up another guy.” I smile over at Fletcher. I hope he appreciates the way I’m playing my role.

  “This is her M-O.” Mia pats away her tears with two manicured fingers. “She has a six-year-old son she’s getting child support payments for. Ten thousand dollars a month. She also has a three-year-old son. No telling how much money she’s getting for him.”

  I’m baffled that the prissy Mia would even have a friend like Bliss.

  “How did you two become friends?” I ask.

  She clasps her hands and sets them in her lap. “We were never close. We just started hanging out after yoga class. I still can’t believe she’s doing this.”

  Fletcher kisses Mia on the cheek. “We’re going to work this all out and our wedding is going to be fabulous.”

  “We’re getting married in the South of France,” Mia brags. “In the same village where Brad and Angelina tied the knot.”

  Good for you.

  They both get to their feet.

  “Fletcher,” I say, “I need a quick second with you. Alone.”

  Mia opens her mouth to object, but Fletcher leads her to the door. “We’ll only be a minute.”

  Once she’s gone, I stand so that I can look Fletcher in the eyes.

  “I just want to be sure you’re being honest with me. Is there any way that kid could be yours?”

  He responds with a bad imitation of Bill Clinton. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

  I don’t crack a smile. “Please answer my question.”

  “I’ve been one-hundred percent straight with you, counselor. Bliss Fenton is simply out for revenge.”

  I stare at him long and hard. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

  “Shoot.”

  “What in the hell do you see in her? She’s cute and all, but she’s a bit high strung.”

  Fletcher chuckled. “Mia came off a little hard just now, but she really has a heart of gold. You’ll see that once you get to know her. Maybe you and your husband can join us for dinner sometime. As a matter of fact, I’m having a shindig at the house Thursday night. You should come.”

  He gives me a hug that lasts way too long and feels way too good.

  “I hope your husband is as good to you as I would’ve been.”

  “He is.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” There’s a long awkward patch of silence. “You ever wonder what it would’ve been like if we’d made it?”

  I smile, but don’t otherwise respond to his question.

  “Thanks for taking my case.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Just before he grabs the doorknob, I stop him.

  “I have some free legal advice for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Get a pre-nup.”

  He winks. “It’s already drafted.”

  “That’s good to hear. Just make sure you get it signed.”

  CHAPTER 4

  To Bliss’ dismay, Jessica had insisted on celebrating her birthday at El Cholo Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica. Sure, the food was great, but Jessica’s husband earned enough dough to jet them off to a five-star restaurant in Milan or Paris. But Jessica liked to play down their wealth.

  “I’m with the Winthrop party,” she announced at the h
ostess’ stand, then turned away to conduct a visual scan of the bar.

  Nothing noteworthy. Men with real cash didn’t hang out at places like this, so Bliss didn’t either. Tonight, though, she had to suck it up for her best bud.

  A young man dressed in a Mariachi getup looked at his clipboard, then stared into her cleavage.

  “They’re in our private dining room in the back.”

  As he led the way, the grinning kid kept turning around to gawk at her. He looked so excited you’d have thought he was escorting Jennifer Lopez down the red carpet.

  When she reached the room, Bliss gave Jessica a quick peck on the cheek, waved at her husband Paul and waited for introductions to the other three couples. Two of the men were Paul’s business partners, the third, a golfing buddy. Bliss felt no awkwardness at being the only solo member of the group. In fact, she preferred it this way. While the women prattled on about nothing, their husbands would be staring at her tits when she reached for the salsa, checking out her ass when she walked to the ladies’ room and wishing they were taking her home instead of the spongy saps sitting next to them.

  Bliss handed her gift bag across the table. “Happy birthday! Enjoy thirty-five because forty will be here before you know it.”

  Jessica laughed. “As long as I have my honey, I count every year as a blessing.” Jessica gave Paul a mushy kiss.

  One of the women was talking nonstop about a new client at her PR firm. Though she hadn’t been there ten minutes, Bliss had heard enough. It was time to place the focus of the conversation where it should be. On her.

  “Well, I did it!” Bliss reached across the table and took a sip of Jessica’s margarita, anxious for her own to arrive.

  Jessica grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck, a signal to Bliss that she should not proceed down the current path.

  “And just what did you do now?” Paul asked, chomping on a tortilla chip.

  He was tall and slender with a head full of wavy black hair. Bliss often wondered how Jessica had landed such a catch.

  Bliss paused to make sure she had everyone’s attention. “I served Fletcher McClain with a paternity suit today.”