Page 1 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

Chapter 1

“Right on time,” Herb Fisher said.

One of the Woodman & Weld associates carried an ice bucket with a bottle of Dom Pérignon into Herb’s office, followed by another associate holding four champagne flutes.

“I take it you were confident about the outcome,” Stone Barrington said. He was a partner at the law firm, and was standing with Herb in front of Herb’s desk.

“Weren’t you?”

“You’ve haven’t failed me yet.”

That afternoon, they’d won a suit for a client to the tune of thirty-two million dollars. Stone had asked Herb to handle the trial and his friend had done a masterful job.

After toasts were made and congratulations shared, the two associates returned to their desks, leaving Stone and Herb alone.

“Did you notice the way Winston Petry looked at you after the verdict?” Herb asked.

“It was hard to miss.”

“For a second there, I thought he was going to charge across the courtroom and attack you.”

“I wouldn’t have been surprised. Petry and I have a history.”

“You never mentioned that before.”

“It wasn’t relevant to the case.”

“From his reaction, I’d say it was relevant to him.”

Stone shrugged. “That’s his problem, not ours.”

“Can you tell me now?”

“Back when I was of counsel to Woodman & Weld, one of the firm’s clients was sued by Petry for breach of contract. I turned up evidence that he’d falsified his financials to get our client’s business, and thus proved the contract had been legally terminated.”

“That’s a long time to hold a grudge for losing one contract.”

With a grin, Stone said, “Because of what I turned up, financial regulators swooped in. My understanding is that Petry barely escaped going to jail and had to close his business. It took him several years to rebound and build up his new company.”

“Now I get it, though it doesn’t seem to have hurt him too much. He’s worth a few hundred million.”

“Slippery as an eel, as they say.”

“He’s going to appeal,” Herb said.

“And he’ll fail again. Your case is airtight.”

Carly Riggs poked her head into the office. “Hello, you two. I heard the good news.”

Carly was a fast-rising star at Woodman & Weld. She andStone had had a passionate but short-lived relationship, ended by mutual consent, as working together and playing together was not a good idea, especially for a promising lawyer just starting her career.

“Herb did the heavy lifting,” Stone said.

“Congratulations.”

“Care to join us for a glass of champagne?” Herb asked.

“Can’t. I’m heading out to an off-site meeting.”

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