Mirin, Christelle - Morgan's Protégé [Bonding Camp 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (2 page)

Okay, now she knew what he was getting at. He wanted to know if there was a man in her life who was going to get in the way of work. She breathed a sigh of relief in her mind, feeling a bit better about the situation. “If what you are asking is whether or not there’s going to be a problem with me working long hours, late nights, and weekends, you don’t have to worry. I’m not married, nor am I engaged. I’m not even dating at this time. I’m totally focused on my career. I will do what it takes to get where I want to be, and where I want to be is a lawyer, preferably working for this firm when I pass the bar.”

“You want to work here, for us?” He raised an eyebrow again.

“Yes. I do.” She raised her chin, looking him directly in the eye.

“You are a very determined young woman, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Very confident.” He glanced at Justice, who was sitting quietly beside her. “What do you think?” Morgan asked him.

Justice smiled. “I think she’s a great candidate.”

Morgan looked back at her. “I have been looking for a protégé. If I do hire you, there are a few requirements to working with us. If you truly want to join our team.”

Grace allowed a smile to form on her mouth. This was going very well, better than she had expected. A protégé? If Morgan Moss took her under his wing, she’d learn amazing things. This truly couldn’t be going any better. “I’m sure I can fulfill the requirements.”

“Are you?” Morgan tilted his head. “We’ll see.” He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out another file, laying it on the desk in front of him. He pulled out a form and slid it across the desk toward her. “If you wouldn’t mind signing this non-disclosure release, we can discuss what is required for you to join us.” He laid a pen on top of the paper.

Grace leaned forward, picking up the pen and sliding the paper off the desk. She never signed anything without reading it first. Scanning over it quickly, she noted it was a basic release. It stated that she would not disclose anything about the workings of the office, the staff, or the cases. It was a non-issue, so she leaned forward again, placing the paper on the desk, and added her signature. “There you go.”

Morgan picked up the paper, read it, then placed it in the center drawer of his desk. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk. “Here at Cane, Moss, and White, we cherish the bond we have between our partners and our staff. If you want to be a part of that bond, we would like you to attend Bonding Camp this weekend.”

“Bonding Camp?”
What is this?

“Yes. We have a compound, owned by Justice, myself, and our third partner, Crystal White, upstate. At the compound, we invite a certain few of our prospective staff to attend a bonding camp where we get to know each other and also create a bond between us that will carry over to our work environment. If you want to be one of the staff who garners some of the most intense cases and work directly with the partners, I suggest you attend.”

She thought about it for a moment. What could it hurt? A weekend at their exclusive compound, schmoozing with the partners. It could help her career immensely. Sometimes, it was all about connections. And it was possible, slightly possible, if she did a good job over the summer, maybe the firm would help with her tuition. She’d heard other firms helping to pay tuition for prospective employees. “This weekend, you say?”

“Yes. From Saturday morning until Sunday evening. Shall I book you?”

She glanced over at Justice. He smiled brightly. Looking back at Morgan, she nodded. “Just tell me where I have to go and what time I need to be there.”

A smile slowly bloomed on his lips as he leaned back in his chair again. “If everything goes well this weekend, we’ll have you start your internship on Monday morning.”

Her stomach was shaking, and she wanted to let out a laugh, but she held it in.

“Pick up an agenda from our secretary at the desk, and I’ll see you at the compound in the morning,” Morgan said, rising from his chair.

Grace stood, extending her hand. “Thank you so much for this opportunity, Mr. Moss.”

He took her hand, holding it gently in his. “Morgan.”

“Morgan.” She gave his hand a small squeeze and leaned down to pick up her briefcase. When she stood, she noticed a look pass between Morgan and Justice. Justice was now standing in front of the desk, rubbing his chin. “Is there something wrong?”

Justice turned to her. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ll walk you out.” He took her elbow.

“Good-bye, Morgan,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

Morgan was already sitting in his chair, reading another file. He waved a hand at her without looking up. As she followed Justice out of the office, she knew she needed to do more to get Morgan’s attention. She wanted to make an impression on him, one that would last.

When they entered the outer office, Justice crossed to the secretary’s desk. “Sarah, could you get Grace a copy of the Bonding Camp agenda please?”

“I sure can,” she said, rising and moving to a row of filing cabinets behind her.

Justice turned back to Grace. “I’m glad you’ve agreed to attend. I think you’ll fit in here very nicely. Morgan must have really been impressed with you.”

“How so?” Grace wondered just what she had done to impress him. True, her résumé looked good, but this firm was so prestigious it would take a lot to get in.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Morgan doesn’t usually invite potential employees to the compound. It’s usually myself or Crystal who takes care of that. Morgan just attends and gives his opinion after the weekend activities.”

This was good news. If she made that good of an impression, she may just have a chance at a future here. “I wonder what it is about me that impressed him. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I’m happy to attend bonding camp and the chance to get to know all of you.” She pursed her lips. “What should I bring? Is there anything in particular? What exactly goes on at bonding camp?”

“All of that is outlined in the agenda Sarah will give you. As long as you have an open mind and are willing to try new things, I’m sure you’ll get along fine this weekend.”

Open mind? New things? What am I getting myself into?
She shook the thoughts from her mind. It didn’t matter. Her determination would carry her through the weekend, and she wasn’t shy, so she’d be fine with almost any situation that came up. It actually was sort of exciting. “Will I have to drive? Is the address in the agenda?” She was thinking about the price of gas and whether her clunker of a car would make it without giving up the ghost on the side of the road.

“Oh no, you won’t have to drive. We’ll have a car pick you up.” Justice turned to Sarah, who walked up beside him, a booklet in her hand. He took it from her. “Thanks, Sarah.” He turned back to Grace. “You’ll find most everything you need to know in here,” he said, placing his hand flat on the cover before handing it to her.

She took it from him, tucking it under her arm. She’d read it later, when she was able to curl up and give it her full attention. “Will you be attending this weekend? Will Ms. White?”

Justice gave her a most engaging smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m afraid Crystal won’t be able to make it. She’s out of town this week on vacation.”

“Won’t she have to approve me, too?” Grace didn’t want to be left hanging while waiting on approval from a partner who wasn’t there. She wanted to get started on Monday.

“If Morgan and I approve you, Crystal will agree. We’re very close. You might say we have a very close bond.” He removed his right hand from his pocket, extending it to her. “Why don’t you go on home and read through everything tonight, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Grace shook his hand and nodded. “I’ll be sure to read everything. If there’s one thing about me, I like to be prepared.”

Sliding his hand back into his pants pocket, he met her gaze. “There are some things in life you can’t prepare for, Grace. This may be one of them.”