Working Stiff: Casimir (Runaway Billionaires #1) (49 page)

“Back?” She squinted at the phone, the screen too bright to stare at directly after the darkness of the night.

He nodded. “The studios want to renegotiate all the contracts, every single one of them, that passed through Val’s or Josie’s hands because there’s a very good chance that an actor could go to court and have them declared fraudulent. Thus, the studios and recording companies may have distributed hundreds of movies and thousands of songs that they don’t quite hold the rights to.”

The gazebo spun around Rox, and she grabbed the bench.
“Oh, Lord.”

“The clients want me to start my own law firm. I’ve got a standard reply now that I’m pasting in that I cannot represent them in any action concerning Val and Josie due to conflict of interest. It’s not ethical.”

“And so they’re backing off.” Rox nodded and swiveled on the bench.

His phone buzzed in his hand again, and he stared at it. “It’s making them froth at the mouth. They’re insistent. Even though I have assured them that I cannot possibly represent them in the case against our previous firm, their attempts at bribery know no bounds.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”

“They want me to renegotiate their contracts with the studios and recording companies.”

Rox turned to him. “And that’s bad, why?”

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to California at all. Or if I do, my sister will send a regiment to look after me. She means well.”

Rox tapped her chin with one finger. “So we could go home.”

“The security would be oppressive. Rotating shifts. Chauffeured armored cars. It’s really no way to live.”

“How about if we lived someplace like New York?”

“Probably marginally less security. My sister is not taking these threats and attempts lightly.”

“But the attacks were when those guys thought that you were just some anonymous entertainment-industry lawyer. They thought you didn’t have the resources to defend yourself. Did Val or Josie ever know about your ‘dynastic problems?’”

“I see you figured out what Arthur meant.”

“Obviously.
Did they?”

“I took great pains to make sure that no one knew. When I applied for the position at the firm, right out of law school, I asked my professors and other references to call them immediately. I had the transcripts sent over from Yale Law before they could ask. They did a criminal record check, but I don’t have any problems with that. My credit rating was not a problem.”

Yeah, Rox bet that his credit was absolutely sterling. “So Val and Josie never knew. Monty and his partners never knew. They thought you were just some lawyer. They will probably poop their pants when they find out. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall when he sees you arrive with security commandos and snipers and a flippin’ tank rolling through the middle of Los Angeles.”

Casimir smiled. “It would certainly change the situation.”

“Can you imagine? Monty would be sitting there in his office, at that long, stupid conference table of his, and the door blows open and a squad of black-fatigued, gun-toting commandos storm into the room, throw him on the table and frisk him, and then slam him back into his chair. Then we stroll in and tell him that we need to talk to him about certain clauses in his contracts.”

He was chuckling now. “The look on his face would be priceless.”

“And then if he starts stalling and telling us that we’re crazy because we think the contract should be different, you lift one finger and all those commandos point their guns at him in one coordinated move, and then his water glass shatters because a sniper shot it from somewhere outside.”

Casimir laid a hand on his stomach because he was laughing so hard. “I would almost feel sorry for him.”

Rox gazed into the darkness, imagining something even worse. “And then after he signs the contracts, the windows would get blown out of the room, and we would go jump onto zip lines and be zipped up into a hovering black helicopter.”

Casimir was past laughing now, his voice rising as he bent sideways and giggled. “Oh, my Lord.
Stop.
Please,
stop.”

Rox snaked her arms around his waist and hugged him, even though he was still giggling helplessly, almost lying on the bench. “And that’s just how we’ll do it.”

THE AMSBERG LAW FIRM

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held inside a Los Angeles skyscraper, in the office of the new law firm that occupied the entire floor. Spring California sunlight flooded through the walls of glass on two sides of the lobby.

Rox had wanted the ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held outside in the spring air, but Lachlan and the other security people first counseled against it, then argued against it, and then out-right declared that it was not going to happen. Even though there had been no incidents since Casimir and Rox had returned to California, and even though dozens of arrests had been made once Val and Josie had started naming other people involved in the criminal scheme to defraud their clients, Ana and Casimir both erred on the side of caution whenever there might be an opportunity for an attack.

Especially since Rox had discovered that she was pregnant.

This happened, luckily, only a few days after the Dutch Parliament passed an Act of Consent to allow Casimir to marry her and still stay within the line of succession to the throne. Indeed, once the government had presented the bill to the parliament, it had passed within hours, surprising even Ana with how little debate it had taken. They hadn’t even needed to hold a reception for the MPs to meet Rox.

It was as if keeping Casimir and his future, hypothetical children in the line of succession had been in everyone’s best interest.

After they had gotten the parliament’s approval and admitted that there might be an addition to the royal family rather sooner than expected, Ana had insisted on planning and holding the wedding within a month.

It was almost as if Ana had a vested interest in adding new members to the royal family and the line of succession as soon as possible, too.

Every time Crown Princess Ana saw Rox, she started the conversation by squealing and asking if she had felt anything yet, even though she must have known from her own four pregnancies that it was too early.

She kept slipping Rox baby clothes, too. Really nice ones.

And jewelry, insisting that Rox needed diamonds to wear at state events, even though Casimir had to be threatened and cajoled into accepting invitations. He was getting better about them, though. With Rox by his side, that real smile reached his dark green eyes more often than before.

So, on that lovely spring California day, at the opening of their law firm, Casimir and Rox both held the oversize scissors and cut the orange and blue ribbon inside the lobby to officially open The Amsberg Law Office.

Rox had wanted to call the firm Amsberg and Amsberg, but Casimir had bitten his lip and explained law firm ethics: Under the Rules of Professional Responsibility, only attorneys who had been admitted to the bar could form a partnership and be included in the name of the law firm. Paralegals and other lawyers could be employed by a law firm, but paralegals could not have a financial interest in the firm.

After Rox had finished her temper tantrum, Casimir had explained that they would make sure in their pre-nup that she owned a fifty-percent stake in the corporation that would own the law firm.

And after she finished her temper tantrum about having a pre-nup at all, Casimir assured her that the half-interest in the law firm would be one of the few items in there, and other than that, all their assets would be considered community property.

Including the cats.

If they ever got divorced, Casimir wanted sole custody of Pirate.

After that temper tantrum that only ended when Rox threatened to go biblical on him, they agreed on shared custody of the cats.

And any children, they added.

They amended the agreement to stipulate shared custody of their
four
cats.

After their wedding in the Netherlands and honeymoon in Fiji, as Casimir had insisted, they had found a new house to live in while the mansion was being rebuilt into a security-bristling stronghold. During that time, Casimir had kept visiting the animal shelter with Rox, who was no longer allowed to clean the litter boxes and banished to doing admin work or walking the small and quiet dogs for the duration.

There, he continued to bond with Fairy Dust, the tiny cat who might have been feral but who loved him.

After a month, they brought her home.

Rox kept slipping Midnight extra shrimp treats to reward him for his loyalty.

At the reception at The Amsberg Law Office on that first official day of business, Rox rested for a few moments in her huge office before she went out to brave the crowd again. The couches in the meeting area were overstuffed, inviting people to stay and chat. The pillow-soft upholstery was heaven on her sore back.

She rested her hand on her growing, rounded tummy.

Only three more months.

A knock rattled the door on the side wall of her office.

Rox called, “Come in, honey.”

Casimir stuck his head through the door that adjoined her office to his. The cheek with his two scars was toward her, now pale and healed, but quite noticeable. “Are you hiding in here?”

“Just admiring my new office.”

Indeed, her new office had everything, the conversation grouping with couches and a coffee table, a huge desk worthy of the most distinguished barrister, and a bassinet and rocking chair in the corner.

He walked over to where she was sitting and sat beside her, plunking her feet in his lap to rub the sore spots on her insteps. She groaned and let her head flop back.

“They’ve broken out the champagne,” he said.

“Two hours early. Should we send Wren for some more?”

“Last I saw her, she was dancing on a desk with a two-liter magnum of it in her hand.”

“Lovely. Our staid and formal office opening has turned into an excuse for day-drinking.”

He smiled. “With our staff, every office party will require a fleet of cabs to make sure everyone gets home safely.”

Someone knocked on the door that led to the main office.

Rox glanced at the clock: straight up two in the afternoon. “Come in, Lachlan!”

He stuck his head in her office and glanced at them, appraised the room, and said, “Thank you, ma’am.” He stepped back out and closed the door behind himself.

Casimir continued to massage her feet and ankles.

The security checks weren’t oppressive, but they were constant.

“Come on,” Casimir said, tickling the bottom of her foot. She jumped and pulled her feet out of his hands. “Let’s go back for a few minutes. Must mingle with clients.”

Rox allowed herself to be pulled to standing and wedged her swollen feet back into her flats. At least she had an excuse not to wear heels for a few more months.

Outside, in the office area, she sat with Melanie, Wren, and the rest of her lunch bunch ladies from the old law firm. Pretty much anyone who had wanted to come to the new law firm had been offered a position, which meant that work had gone on, almost without pause, ever since they had gotten back from the honeymoon.

It was just like how it should be, but with better security, a nicer office, Cash Amsberg in her bed every night, and no more snipers, firebombs, or manufactured car crashes.

She watched Casimir float through the crowd, greeting people and laughing, shaking hands and slapping backs.

In California, he really was everyone’s friend and the life of the party, and now that he was thoroughly off the market, the women associates were actually treating him like a human being instead of a piece of ass.

He made his way closer to her, locking eyes from a few people away, but was intercepted by one of their clients who hadn’t seen him for over a year, since her last contract for a romcom. She touched his cheek near the twisted scar tissue and pursed her plumped lips. “Good Lord, Cash. What happened to you there?”

Casimir grinned at the woman and glanced up at Rox. “It’s a great story. Let me tell you about it.”

Rox smiled at him and settled her hand on her tummy.

Countess Juliana kicked her palm.

Thank you for reading

the story of the billionaire lawyer,

Prince Casimir van Amsberg,

and Rox the Crazy Cat Lady.

But have you read the story of Tryp,

the rock star drummer for Killer Valentine,

and Elfie, the pyromaniac roadie?

She’s just a little bit of a crazy firebug.

It’s one of the rules of the rock and roll road: the band and the roadies don’t mix.
The band snubs the roadies because they’re uncultured grunts, and the roadies hate the musicians because they’re spoiled brats.

Meet Tryp, the rock star drummer for Killer Valentine,
the hottest band on the planet. He’s young, he’s rich, and his whirlwind life of liquor, women, and screaming crowds is perfect, just as long as he never sobers up.

Elfie Tilsi has been a pyrotechnics technician
(don’t call her a “roadie.”) with the breaking-out rock band Killer Valentine for two years, ever since she ran away from home.

The musicians of Killer Valentine are starting to crack from the unrelenting stress and limitless excess of touring. When the band manager tasks Elfie with babysitting Tryp, she tries being a little kind to him and quickly discovers that his problems are far deeper than the rock and roll lifestyle.

Can the love of a rock drummer and the pyromaniac roadie survive?

Keep reading after the list of Blair’s books

for a special sneak peek at Tryp and Elfie!