Page 19 of Her Exception 3

“Last time we talked about this, you mentioned being co-managing partner with Flex at your father’s firm. Can you give me more details about that?”

I listened intently to what Jeremy said. His father’s firm was half the size of HGP2but they brought in about the same amount of billable hours. They had fewer associates and their partners brought in more profit because they handled the negotiations, closings, and went to trial more than the partners at our current firm.

His father’s firm already had senior and junior managing partners, but they only had two named parents, and only two senior partners. There were no tiers when it came to their associates, so the competition for advancement wasn’t as fierce there. I liked that.

“For you personally, with your experience and record, I’m willing to offer just about anything to have you on my team,” Jeremy continued. “Named partner immediately, and after you’ve trained under Flex and me, if you want to become senior managing partner, that will be yours too. Things at my father’s firm aren’t as cutthroat. No one wants those positions currently, and the people who are occupying those roles now have plans to start their own firms by 2025. Everyone will have smooth transitions, I’m very firm on that.”

“Are you considering anyone else?”

“I want Amaru and Parker. They want to start their own firm, but I want to get in their heads about it. I believe if I talk to them one on one, they will be on board to join. From what Milli has told me, Amaru wants freedom and flexibility with his schedule, and he’s willing to go into business for himself to get that. I believe if I offer him the chance to practice the kind of law he wants without having to be chained to the office, he’ll come.”

“That’ll be a damn good team to take with you. Parker’s great with mergers and acquisitions, Amaru is great with entertainment and contracts, me and Sakura handle criminal and trial… what about civil and class action? Family law?”

“I want your sister on civil and class action. She’s a fucking beast.”

“Agreed. She might go for it. Kura doesn’t care what she practices as long as she’s in that courtroom. I think that’ll be a fun challenge for her.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Carina handles a lot of personal injury and malpractice suits. I do still need someone for family law. The attorney who handles that at the firm currently has a large caseload. I don’t want her to experience burnout so I’ll see who I can pull, but they won’t be from HGP2. We’ll have a mighty team… but at the top of that list, for me, is you. Are you in?”

“I do like the idea of joining and working this with you from the ground up. It feels like I’m helping build something instead of coming into something that’s already established.”

“Sooo,” he almost sang softly, taking my hands into his as I laughed quietly. “Will you be my fake wife so we can make this happen, Maritza?”

“I will, but I’m deserving of a better proposal than this.”

His hearty laughter… the crinkles on the sides of his eyes… God. I was playing withfire.

“You are, and I need you to leave that up to me. Right now, all I need is a yes, and I will handle the rest.”

I thought about it again before finally agreeing with, “Yes.”

I wasn’t sure what it was about this man, or his plan, but I felt led to stand by his side. All I could do was pray I didn’t regret it.

Eleven

Jeremy

That Weekend

I started not to answer Maritza’s call because I knew what she wanted. My weekend had been filled with one meeting after another. It was imperative that when I shifted from HGP2to my father’s firm that my team be in place and ready to go. One thing my father didn’t do half-ass was business and law. Just because he was making me managing partner didn’t mean he wouldn’t do everything in his power to strip me of that title if he felt I wasn’t handling business properly.

Before I went inside Amaru’s home to talk to him and Parker, I decided to answer Maritza’s call so she wouldn’t be anxious. The email I sent her outlined our next steps and what her salary would be as a named partner at my firm.

“Yes?” I answered, pacing on the porch instead of ringing the doorbell.

“I wanted to make sure you sent that email to the right person.”

Smiling, I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “You’re the only woman I’m pursuing to be my fake wife, so yeah, that was for you. I took the liberty of crafting a contract for us to go over together to make sure you know you’ll be taken care of.”

“And I appreciate that.” She paused. “I’m referring to the salary that you are offering.”

“Was it not enough?”

Maritza chuckled. “Uh, yeah. It’s enough. It’s two hundred thousand dollars more than what Violet offered me.”

“Oh. Well, the offer still stands.”

“Jeremy, are you sure? I know I’m a damn good lawyer and I will be a phenomenal named partner, but I don’t want you to spend more of your budget on payroll than you should. Five hundred and twenty-four thousand a year for a first-year named partner is a lot. Plus, you’re offering a six-figure signing bonus.”

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