Pride & Precedents (The Park Brothers #2)

3. Camila

Chapter three

Camila

Goddamnit! I was almost home free! I haven't gotten out before 8:00pm in going on two weeks now. Add that to the subway ride home, and I'm lucky if I see my bed by 10:00pm most nights. Note to bosses everywhere: Work-life balance shouldn't just be for the partners and C-suite!

I allow myself a few more seconds of ineffectual grumbling before flipping to a fresh page in my trusty legal pad and making my way down to Mr. Bannister's office. Some paralegals take notes on their phones, but I worry it looks like I'm texting, so I stick to the tried and true methods. I pass a few more vacant offices before reaching Mr. Bannister's reception area. Poor Cici, his beleaguered paralegal, has got to have a cot hidden somewhere as late as she works. She looks up from her computer and nods in silent greeting.

"Hey Cici, girl. Mr. Park just sent me to get the names of the potential VIP petitioners. I need to put together full dossiers for both by tomorrow. Did Mr. Bannister, perhaps, leave them with you?"

Cici leans back in her chair before starting to search her desk.

"Let me see…" She pushes back ginger bangs that come loose from her chignon as she opens and closes a few drawers. That is exactly why I stick with a bun and barrettes. Long hours, law school, and doing my best not to completely neglect my family obligations leaves me no time for hairspray, curling irons, or fabrics that can't stand up to a mustard stain after another lunch at my desk. I barely have time to shower some days. My work outfits are basically a uniform; I've got three of the same suits in two different colors to cover the whole week. Cici sighs and shakes her head, her search obviously coming up empty.

"No dice, Camila. I'll let him know you're here, though."

I nod and take a seat in the waiting area. I rub the stiffness out of my ankles, roll my shoulders, and let my thoughts wander to my overbearing overlord.

Henry's been wound tighter than usual lately, and that's saying something for a man who's basically a cyborg. A painfully sexy and incredibly successful cyborg, but still. My guess is either he's got one too many clients,—six straight years as the firm's top earner has got to start taking a toll on you at some point—or he seriously needs to get laid. Considering he's either here working late with me, working from his car, or working from home, he's likely had as much sex as I have in the last few months: nada. All work and no play makes Camila a dangerously pent up girl. I sigh and push useless thoughts of sex (or lack thereof) to the back of my brain.

I normally don't have a problem staying late. What else can you expect when you're a paralegal for one of the partners at a firm that's been ranked in the top five of US News that's best firms in the country . I was just really hoping to knock out my last mid-term (ever!) so I could start focusing on studying for the bar and finally make the leap from overworked and underappreciated paralegal to full-fledged attorney.

Not here , of course. Syracuse's JDinteractive program is impressive,—my little sister, Aurora, surprised me with a legit cake from Carlo's when I got in, and then my baby brother, Gabriel, took us out for way too many Harvey Wallbangers—but I doubt it'll get the attention of the higher ups at Bannister, Banks, Smith I'm just glad I found a program I can do when I don't know whether I'll get home by 8:00pm or midnight. Once I pass the bar and have an entry-level gig lined up (maybe something in Entertainment Law), I'll be giving my one month's notice.

God, five years ! This program has been an absolute beast . I pride myself on being a competent woman with an abundance of grit,—my mom worked hard to give that to all her children, despite growing up in projects-adjacent housing in the Bronx—but there were times I thought even I couldn't handle everything. I'll probably sleep for a week when this is all over. Thoughts of my mom swirl in my head and I start absentmindedly tapping my pen.

Valentina Sanchez raised her children to be smart, strong, and proud of their Puerto Rican heritage, no matter how many zeros were in our bank account, or how many times a week we had arroz con pollo . We didn't get private schools, expensive extracurriculars, or fancy summer vacation plans, but we did get a home life full of love and attention, and a mother who believed we could do whatever we wanted to do. She gave everything so we could be successful…until she fell asleep on the bus ride home from work and never woke up.

The doctors said it was a pulmonary embolism. Apparently, all those headaches were worth a visit to the doctor. I'd been in my junior year at CUNY, and suddenly I had to step into the role of single parent for two younger siblings. The grief was unbearable, and I lost my streak on the Dean's list in all the fallout. But I finished.

Instead of going to law school right after college,—that would hardly have been possible with the way my grades tanked anyway—I got my paralegal certification and landed a job with Bannister, Banks, Smith & Park to make ends meet and learn as much behind the scenes as I could. And though I'm nowhere near the mother my mom was, we kept the apartment, Gabriel finished high school and started at Fordham, Aurora finished college ( she even got a scholarship to NYU for film school! ), and life started to even out again. Five years to finish law school definitely wasn't the plan, but better late than never.

It was just Bannister, Banks, & Smith when I started with the firm. I like to call those my "pre-Park" days. My life pre-Park included happy hours with the other paralegals, coffee runs with the cute guy in Accounting, and actually getting my coursework done before the sun came up. Then Vanessa had to go and get married and my short-term coverage assignment in Divorce turned into a life sentence working for "Sub Zero".

There are things I like about the man, for sure.

He's generous with bonuses.

I surprised Gabe and Rory with a family trip to Puerto Rico a few years back, all without dipping into my savings.

He's incredibly smart.

Everyone knows he graduated from Yale Law with a 3.9 GPA and was the fastest to complete the partner track in the history of BBS (now BBS&P).

He is professional and respectful.

He never yells at me, or tries to make me look or feel stupid in front of a client.

And he's incredibly easy on the eyes.

The man looks like Keanu Reeves, if Keanu wore impeccable suits 24/7, had sexy horn-rimmed glasses, and spent all his spare time in the gym to get muscles like Brad Pitt in "Fight Club". I've never seen said muscles, but Jennifer in Estate Planning shared an elevator with one of his lady friends and heard the woman mention it while rudely using her cell phone on speaker. Thank God that witch is out of the picture. In addition to being tacky, she often treated me like Henry's personal assistant, instead of a valued member of the legal team.

In truth, there are more than a few things I like about Henry Park, Jr. I may even be harboring the tiniest crush on the man. It's practically a foregone conclusion with no sexual outlets and a nonexistent social life.

But he's so uptight! I wouldn't be surprised if he slept in those fancy suits. And he's obsessed with rules. There's no way someone so rigid could handle a woman with this much sabor . And he never stops working, not even when he's got a date with one of his many admirers. More than once, I've had to call security on angry women who got past reception and didn't care for being stood up for a date the night before. And worst of all, all of his "lady friends" have been a very specific type: tall, painfully sexy high-power attorneys, just like him. I bet there's a directory of these women where he can just order one like an Uber.

Henry has a rule against interoffice dating,— of course he does—but even if he didn't, I doubt a short Rubenesque paralegal with no Ivy League degree or house in Stamford would fit the bill. His loss! I want to live life to the fullest, try everything, and go back for seconds. Hell, maybe even thirds . "Brown eyes, thick thighs, and unwilling to compromise" has been my mantra to get over harsh words from terribly unoriginal mean girls in high school and later disgusting taunts from wannabe players in college. I can certainly handle a little unrequited crush at work.

Cici clears her throat and gestures to the double doors behind her.

"Mr. Bannister will see you now."

I collect myself and stride purposefully into the founding partner's office, trying not to be intimidated by decor that clearly costs more than a beach house in Nantucket. Mr. Bannister is seated behind his mahogany desk and looking a lot like "Mr. Fantastic", complete with the distinguished gray streaks at his temples. Plenty of the firm's female employees hold a candle for him, hoping to be the next "Mrs. Bannister".

"Good evening, Ms. Sanchez," he says, closing a brief thicker than my tort law textbook. "What brings you by?"

"Hen—I mean Mr. Park mentioned you would have names of some potential VIP petitioners? He said you spoke about them at lunch."

Mr. Bannister picks up a manila envelope from his desk and brings it to where I'm standing.

"Their names are Naomi Watanabe and Tanner Moore. You may know Tanner from his fitness empire, TanFit." I take the envelope from Mr. Bannister and peek inside.

"Yes. Mr. Park mentioned he was preparing for an IPO?" Mr. Bannister nods somberly.

"Which means if we get this case, we'll be working in both Eastern and Pacific hours with Mr. Moore's attorney." I use all my willpower to keep from rolling my eyes. Of course the big case when I need to focus on school means even longer hours. I paste a professional smile on my face to hide the rage within.

"Thanks, Mr. Bannister. I'm off to put together the client dossiers. Mr. Park is eager to learn about these prospective clients." Mr. Bannister turns back to his desk but stops short.

"Actually, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Park may know the female petitioner." That gets my attention. I look up to see a ghost of a smile pass across Mr. Bannister's face.

"Really?"

"They were the same year at Yale Law. Hopefully that gives us an edge when it's time to sign the retainer."

"I'm sure it will. Thank you, sir." Mr. Bannister retakes his seat and opens another mammoth brief. Is it a requirement that all partners dismiss people by just picking back up their work? I close my legal pad and see myself out. Hopefully Henry knows this Watanabe woman and we get some inside info. If this case means more work, hopefully it also means a fat bonus as my graduation present.