At His Mercy (Masters Club 1)

“Terrific. That gives you a couple of days to absorb all this and decide if it’s a good fit. If you want to move forward, I’ll set up an interview with Pete. Does that work for you?”

“Yes. I’ll review the package and be ready with an answer on Saturday. Thank you so much, Ben. I’m really touched and honored that you’re considering me for the position.”

She gave him her personal email address, thanked him again, and rang off. Leaning back in her office chair, she stared at the ceiling for a long while as she pondered this sudden shift in her world.

She had a few friends from law school who had chosen the corporate route. They worked less hours, had less stress and oftentimes made more money. While Jess had always had her eye on the partner prize, was it even a realistic goal? There were only so many partner positions available at any given time, and associates were known to fight tooth and nail for the precious spots. She’d been at the firm for two years. Was it worth investing another five or more just for the chance? Or should she make the move to corporate, achieving an instant leap ahead in her career?

She tried to visualize a job that didn’t include twelve-hour days as a matter of course. What if she stepped off the fast track? Imagine no more stress over having enough billable hours. No more vying with the other associates in the constant effort to be noticed. Corporate law was less cutthroat, the pace easier, the hours far better. True, you didn’t end up with an equity share in a very lucrative business, but money had never been the overriding factor for Jess.

Then there was the added benefit that a career change would nicely address her current dilemma. If she took the job offer, she wouldn’t have to face Mr. Lord at work anymore. She’d see Master Cameron at the club, sure. But it would be much easier that way to keep her feelings contained. The compartments of her life would be once more restored.

Not one to leap before she looked, Jess cautioned herself to slow down. Once she reviewed the offer properly, she’d make her decision.

But, in her heart of hearts, she already knew what she was going to do.

“Take that, Cameron Fucking Lord,” she whispered.

Chapter 22

“And his tombstone read, ‘Here lies a lawyer. For the last time.’” Doug Hanson, number two man at the Lansing Group, brayed with laughter as he poked Cameron annoyingly with his elbow. “Get it? Here lies a lawyer.”

“Funny,” Cameron managed, his smile wooden. Why did so many lay people think attorneys found these lawyer jokes funny?

He cast his eye around the elegantly appointed private dining room of Veranda Esplanade, looking for an escape. There was a small jazz trio consisting of piano, bass and snare drum set up in a corner on a raised platform. They were playing classic jazz, reminding Cameron of his days as a law student at Columbia, when he’d go to the Blue Note around midnight to unwind after study group.

Tonight he would rather have been at the Masters Club, but duty called. He’d even allowed Marion to secure one of the hotel rooms so he wouldn’t have to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive back into the city once the festivities ended.

His heart gave a silly teenage jolt when he spied Jess standing with one of the Lansing employees, Ben something. She looked lovely in a simple black cocktail dress, her hair swept up in a loose chignon, escaped tendrils curling at the nape of her neck. She held a glass of champagne. Ben was gesticulating with his free hand, a glass of something amber over ice in the other.

“If you’ll excuse me, Doug,” Cameron said, turning back to the overweight, slightly perspiring man. “There’s someone I need to have a quick word with. I hope to see you soon.”

“Not if I see you first,” Doug guffawed, already turning away to find his next victim.

Cameron started to make a beeline toward Jess and Ben, but he stopped midway. What the hell was he doing?

Separate worlds, he reminded himself.

Master Cameron would naturally approach Jess, pleasure sub. But Cameron Lord would not be wandering over to chat with Jessica Cooper, associate.

He forced himself to alter his direction, heading instead toward Leo Silverstein, who was talking with Pete Lansing and a guy from the Veranda Esplanade whose name escaped Cameron at the moment.

As he headed their way, he had to weave through the tables set up for the dinner that would start once the cocktail hour had wound down. He noticed there were name cards in fancy calligraphy at each place setting. He glanced around, looking for both Jess’s name and his own. He found hers first. She was seated between Ben Stanton and some woman named Betsy Knight who Cameron assumed worked for Lansing.