AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It sure sounded like him, but what the hell was he doing back here? If you think I’m giving you anything more than what those tickets cost, you’re out of your mind, mister. “Is there something you wanted?”
“To talk to you.” A few seconds later he added, “In person, if possible. If you don’t feel comfortable with my coming up, then maybe you’d like to come down and we can sit in my limo.”
I walked over to the window and sure enough, a black limo was parked across the street. You don’t see those very often in this neighborhood. Maybe for a wedding or a prom. I went back to the intercom and said, “I’ll buzz you up.”
Pressing the button, I waited a second, then rushed back into my bedroom. I wasn’t out to impress him, but brushing my teeth wasn’t a bad idea since I’d had an Italian grinder with extra onions on it for dinner.
When I came out, he was knocking on my door. Opening it I said, “Come on in. Can I make you a coffee or tea?” Tea? This man doesn’t drink tea.
“Coffee would be great. Black, please.”
“Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll be right with you.” I headed to the kitchen and was grateful Samantha had gone food shopping and replenished the K-cups. Coffee was the main drink in the house, and right now it was one of the few things I felt confident offering him. A moment later, I joined him in the living room and handed him the mug. Sitting on the recliner at the far end of the couch, I asked, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Was your client pleased with the VIP tickets?”
“Yes, he was. Thank you,” I replied. “They usually are when they get exactly what they want. And I pride myself on delivering that.”
“So you’ve never disappointed a customer?” he asked.
As far as I knew, that was a ridiculous question. “No one is perfect. There were a few times at the beginning where I couldn’t get exactly what they had requested. I learned from my mistakes and since then, I’ve always been first in line.”
“And you enjoy this line of work?”
“Some nights are more difficult than others.”
“Like last night in the hail?” he questioned.
“I’d like to say that was the worst, but it wasn’t. One time I was in line and for six hours and I had to actually pinch my nose closed so I didn’t gag on the stench of urine.”
“You’re not serious, are you?”
“Unfortunately, I am. Another time I waited for four hours on the most humid day and I was covered from head to toe in sweat, and when I pulled out the money to pay for the tickets, it was actually wet.” I shook my head and couldn’t believe I was sharing these horror stories with Phillip. Then again, I still had no idea why he was really here. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear about this.”
“Have you considered doing something else for work?”
“I’ve tried several things, but I actually like what I do.” There was no convincing Samantha, so I wasn’t about to win over a stranger. I fell back on one of my usual conversation redirects: getting the other person talking about their life. “How about you? What do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
I didn’t mean to roll my eyes, but I did. There was nothing wrong with lawyers. They provided a service to people, no different than I did. They just made a hell of a lot more. It did answer my question as to how Phillip had been able to score the tickets. He probably had amazing connections. And probably doesn’t have to stand in line for anything. Was it wrong that I now was looking at him as a potential client? Maybe that’s why he’s here. He needs my help.
I wasn’t going to broach that yet. He knew what I offered. If he was interested, I had a feeling he wouldn’t be shy about asking. So the best thing for me to do was keep him talking about himself. “Do you find enjoyment in being a lawyer?”
“I do.”
“May I ask why?”
He seemed surprised by my question, staring at me for a moment before replying. “I enjoy facts. The law is very clear-cut.”
“If you know how to interpret it,” I snorted. “I was a passenger in a car accident a few years ago. Someone ran a stop sign and slammed into my friend’s Honda. I didn’t even have any injuries and wasn’t trying to get anything, but still, I had to sign a legal document releasing the other party from any liability.”
“Legal jargon can be a bit tricky when you’re not familiar with it. But I’m not an accident attorney. I deal with corporate law.”
Still sounds boring.“Thankfully, I don’t need any legal services.”
“You say that, but I looked into your business. It appears as though you haven’t set yourself up properly to protect your assets. Meaning there is room for you to be held liable for things you shouldn’t. I thought I’d offer you my services if you were interested.”
Protect my assets? I don’t have any yet.Then it hit me. Something I almost missed. He’d looked into my business? Why? I never asked him to. And honestly, I wasn’t sure I appreciated anyone doing so. There wasn’t a law against it, but I never discussed the details with anyone, not even my parents.
