Page 52 of Trials of a One Night Stand
As I enter and go to the defendant’s table, I glance at Jayne sitting across the aisle with Lucas and Oliver. I can only see her from behind, and it’s killing me. Two fucking weeks without her, and I can’t even see her face. Still, my pulse kicks up. I missed her so much, more than I thought possible if I’m being honest.
That must explain why my gaze is locked on her neck, which I can see because she’s wearing her hair up. Man, I’d love to shower her smooth skin with kisses and love bites.
Soon.
I sit next to Cliff, but I can’t help my gaze from straying to Jayne. Now I have a great view of her profile. God, she’s beautiful. Her complexion glows. Is that the pregnancy or just her? She’s wearing a blazer, so I can’t tell if she has a baby bump yet. It’s probably too early, and it’s a good thing no one knows she’s pregnant. It’s our little secret along with Lottie, who Jayne told, Ashton, Chloe, and Buttercup. Jayne has an OB appointment, and I can’t wait to go. Each time I look at her, it’s hard to believe she’s carrying my baby.
“Why are you staring at the enemy like a lovesick puppy?” Cliff asks.
Busted. Heat rushes up my neck, reminding me of when I was fourteen and my dad caught me jerking off when I thought he was golfing. “Sorry.”
Cliff scrubs a hand over his face. “Seriously, be careful and behave. I dug deeper while I was doing my final prepping. Sugar Valley Drugs has pulled some underhanded shit in the past, but yesterday, one of my investigators found proof they have a history of ripping into companies by claiming ownership of their products.”
“That’s what they’re doing to us.” I keep my voice low and my eyes on Cliff. “How come it took so long to find out they’ve done this before?”
“Because they’ve used different shell companies each time. He found a paper trail that leads to a company called Dextratel. They’re the major shareholder for each of the companies that have pulled lawsuits like this one. They’re hidden deep, which is why it took him so long to discover.”
“Are they likely to see the case out until the end?” I ask, trying to figure out what we’re facing.
“No. Their MO is to settle out of court, and when I say settle, I mean a big amount.”
I glance over at the opposition’s table, where Jayne whispers to Oliver. “How big are we talking?”
“Big, big.” Cliff scribbles a figure on his pad and shoves it my way, causing my eyes to nearly pop out of my head at the number of zeros. “That’s the smallest figure they’ve won.”
“Shit.” I glance at the number again. “That would be a huge hit.”
“Yes, and then they’ll swoop in and buy your company for peanuts. They’ll take the products they want and sell the others to your biggest competitor.”
“Good thing we have enough evidence to prove they’re liars. We shouldn’t even need to settle with the proof that we have.”
Cliff glares at the opposition’s table. He doesn’t appear as confident. I don’t understand why, especially now that we have such valuable information.
“Other companies thought they had their lawsuits sewn up too. Even they ended up settling because Dextratel, or whichever company they were calling themselves, got dirt on them. Something they could use to sully their reputation or get shareholders to lose confidence in the executive team by threatening to leak the news to the press.”
“That’s what Nigel was trying to do to us, and we got him.” Thanks to Zelda and Jack.
“True, but the pay up and shut up or we share your dirty laundry with the world seems to work well for them.” A muscle pulses at Cliff’s jaw. “They’re a bunch of fucking sharks. Plus, they’ve got a great lawyer. She’s ruthless, so stop fluttering those long eyelashes at her, or she’ll accuse you of flirting. We don’t need that.”
If only Cliff knew that Jayne and I have been doing more than flirting.
He smirks. “Though maybe if you act interested in her, you can get her to back off.”
Hell, no. I stiffen, my hands curling into fists. “You’re not serious, are you?”
Cliff rolls his eyes. “No way. I have principles. We’ll win this case, and we’ll win it the right way. Although, if someone else wants to bring them down, my principles would be good with that.”
His sudden change of confidence has me tugging on my shirt collar, but I must trust Cliff will do what we’ve paid him to do—win. In the meantime, I need to figure out how I’ll speak to Jayne. I have to know if she has any idea of how underhanded and crooked her client is.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JAYNE
The first day of the trial goes surprisingly well, and I can’t stop smiling. Sugar Valley Drugs’ witnesses did exactly what they were supposed to do—prove Orchid came from their laboratory and researchers. I even presented the original formula for Orchid, which had the defense talking with their heads together like schoolgirls. It was a joy to see. Jason even called, telling me what a fine job I’d done. Yes, I killed it in court today.
Go, Jayne, go.
Now, I’m home—well, my temporary one—and ready to relax. My reward for success today is a nice bath, not too hot or long because of the pregnancy, but even a short soak will feel good.
