Page 45 of Token

“She did say Kennedy wasexceptionallybeautiful.”

Nate resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his friend’s efforts to excuse his mother’s remarks continued to fall flat. Nate changed the subject before he said something he’d later regret. “So, what do you have for me? I hope to hell Alberta’s missing review is in there.” He tipped his chin at the folder in front of Jack.

“Still working on that, but I just got word from Anthony in Legal. They’re having a hard time getting the other side to the table. Neil plans to discuss it with you once he gets final word. I know you want to put this behind you as soon as feasibly possible, but that’s becoming less likely by the day.”

“Why the fuck not?” These were exactly the kind of lawsuits litigants wanted to settle. The lawyers usually urged them to settle. The only variable was the amount, and he hadn’t made an offer yet. Their reluctance to come to the table didn’t make sense.

“It sounds like the lead attorney wants to take it to court and let the jury decide. At least, that’s what he hinted at.”

Nate sat abruptly back in his chair. “Why the hell would he want to do that? We haven’t gone through arbitration. We haven’t made an offer. He’s supposed to do what’s best for his clients. How does he know taking it to court is for the best? And who the fuck is this guy anyway?” He was going to need to talk to Legal himself and find out what the hell was going on.

“Trevor Markham. He’s some hotshot Black civil rights attorney. Word is he has his sights on a political career and is more interested in building name recognition than this case. The quicker it’s settled, the faster the press coverage goes away. I say in the end, he’ll probably agree to arbitration, but not until after he enjoys time in the limelight.”

“What fucking limelight?”

“He’s taking a page out of your book and plans to hold a press conference once he can get more employees to join the suit. I heard he also plans to do the local TV news circuit with Alberta. So just as news coverage is fading, he’ll be going out there to push the lawsuit back in the spotlight. The guy’s fucking diabolical. He’s got the instincts of an ad man and a politician.”

“Have you met him?” Nate asked.

“No, but I’ve seen him. He’s young—early thirties—and everyone who’s met him says he’s the best in his field and smooth as fuck. Women seem to adore him and men—”

Nate cut him off with an exasperated groan. “Don’t tell me. The men want to be him, or some shit like that.”

“No, actually, I was going to say, the men want to beat the shit out of him because he’s a smug, self-serving prick.”

Nate barked a laugh. “You sureyouhaven’t met the guy?”

Jack grinned. “I’m paraphrasing. Those are Neil’s words. But I’m looking into him myself. It’s always good to know who we’re up against.”

Neil D’Orazio, head of the legal team, didn’t mince words. If he said Markham was a prick, Nate would take him at his word.

“Well, if he’s looking for a career in politics, he sounds like the right man for the job.”

Wanted: smug, self-serving prick.The job description wrote itself.

“So what do you want to do?” Jack asked, his expression sobering.

“I’ve got to get my hands on Alberta’s performance review and I’m going to talk to Neil about setting up a meeting with me and Markham. If he’s as smart and ambitious as you say, I’m sure I can make him see reason.” The longer this lawsuit dragged out, the worse it would be for the company.

Brow furrowed, Jack looked uneasy. “I don’t know, Nate. You may want to let the lawyers handle that.”

“Don’t worry,” he assured his friend. “I’m not going to speak with him alone. I’ll make sure Neil is with me.”

“Have you considered a scenario where the company is cleared by the investigation? What would you want to do then?”

It was a fair question, but no matter what he wanted to believe, the company did have both a gender and racial problem in management. The numbers didn’t lie. He’d read the suit in its entirety and he had a hard time believing thatallof the employees were exaggerating or making up the things they said occurred. Excuses of miscommunication and missing reviews didn’t sit well with him. No, somewhere along the way in trying to make the company both diverse and inclusive, he’d fallen short of that goal, and he intended to fix it. Settling before the investigation was completed was a small price to pay.

“I’d like us to operate as if the outcome isn’t going to be favorable to us. In the meanwhile, I’d also like to meet with Alberta one-on-one. Do you think Neil can make that happen?” Her case really stuck in his craw, and since Duncan Flynn was still on his honeymoon and hadn’t returned repeated calls, talking directly with his former employee was his best bet.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea either,” Jack said, shielding his eyes with his hand from the slice of sun that broke through the sky bridge above. “Let it go through the lawyers, or the next thing you know, you’re being accused of intimidation or god knows what.”

Shit.Nate steepled his fingers. Jack was probably right about that. He needed to let the lawyers do their job and earn the money he paid them—he had enough on his plate as it was. This afternoon he was meeting with senior management and HR. Because of the lawsuit, the company’s promotion and advancement process was under the most intense scrutiny of its twelve-year existence, and he needed to find out why it didn’t appear to be functioning as originally designed.

“Look, I understand this is hitting you hard and you want to fix everything now. But just remember the financials of the company are great, and on the whole, the employees are happy. This lawsuit is a bump in the road. It’s all going to work out.”

Nate gave his friend a wan smile. Jack was the consummate cheerleader. In high school and college, if he needed his spirits lifted, Jack had always been there, and almost never trying to be a prick about it. Fortunately, he was also one of the best, if not the best, chief technology officers in the business.

“You’re right. And if I haven’t told you this before, thanks for keeping the business running smoothly while I’ve been gone.”

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