Maxwell Stauros in :The Politicians Keeper

Chapter five: The oddest of arrangements

When I was in law school we had to choose a subject to do a thesis on. I choose to do one on a historical group called 'The Fabian Society'. They were started as a political think tank in Britain in the late eighteen hundreds. What I found the most interesting about them was not that they had been directing public policy for over one hundred and fifty years, but that there coat of arms was a wolf pretending to be a sheep.

The next day in my office Lillian brought me some bad news. It seemed that the councilman’s wife was on her way over to give me some money. Usually money was a good thing, but when it came with me having to give bad news it was just that much harder. There was no way I could tell her that the price had just skyrocketed to fifty times what the original price was. I assumed that if her husband sent her here with money he must have told her what was going on. It's not my place to judge, beggars can't be choosers when it comes to clients sometimes.

When she arrived Lillian showed her into my office. She was followed this time by a very well dressed assistant.

“Mrs. Dobbins,” I said as I stood to gently shake her hand.

“Call me Nadine please,” she said as she took a seat opposite me at my desk. “My husband says that we are going to be your newest client. I am very excited to be one of your clients. You come with a very high reputation for success. I have faith that you will be able to resolve this issue for my husband and I”

“I appreciate your confidence in me,” I said with a smile. I never knew just how famous I was. I think I had only ever made the papers two times, three at the most.

“I was told that you reached out to Scandal Posts with some money from the other person involved in this?” Nadine said as she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Yeah, about that,” I said trying not to sigh. “It seems that Scandal Posts wants five hundred thousand dollars now?”

“Well that is quite a bit on money isn't it,” she said as her eyes opened wide and she pressed her lips together in a tight line.

“That's just how these things work,” I said spinning the work contract across my desk towards her. “They ask you for a dollar, you say you’ll pay it. Then when the blackmailer knows you'll pay a dollar, that’s when they ask for ten. If you agree to that, then they'll ask for fifty, and so on and so on until you have no money left to give, and then they release the photos anyway.”

“No matter,” she said almost sounding happy about it. “We will pay it. We can't have anything getting out. Elections are coming up soon, and this has to stay quiet. Where do I sign?”

I showed her where to sign so that she and her husband would officially become my clients. When she realized that she didn't have a pen she said something that sounded like Russian to her assistant who quickly got her one out of her purse. I noticed that the assistant never looked up, or around. It was almost like she was ashamed to look at anyone. We all hate our jobs at some point right?

“Are you sure that is what you want?” I asked as I opened my desk and took out a pen. “Wouldn't it be easier just to go on TV, have your husband admit what he did. Then you both could take the political fall out and move on? Even if he lost his position working for the city, you would both still have all that money.”

“No Mr Stauros,” she said sounding more serious than I have heard her before. “You don't understand. Money is nothing to us. This amount they are asking for is a mere drop in a vast ocean.”

That must be nice. With all that money that she says she has it's going to be hard not to take these people to the cleaners.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked as I signed my part of the contract and began to tear off the carbon copies.

“Anything that is helpful to this case,” she said with a smug smile.

“Are you OK with what your husband did, or does?” I asked as I handed her her copies.

“Mr Stauros, My husband and I have an arrangement. He can do anything he wants as long as it does not threaten our lifestyle. He has been good so far, this is his first time being caught. The eyes are everywhere, even outside bathroom windows in the middle of the night. Neither of us could have expected that. I will have the money transferred to you account right away.”

She turned and said something in Russian again to her assistant who took out her phone and stepped out of the office.

“All right then,” I said with a smile as I stood up. “I will take care of this and let you know how this worked out.”

Lillian showed her out and then returned to my office with a small file folder. Her expression showed that she angry about something. I carefully walked into that minefield.

“What's wrong?” I asked as I closed the browser on my computer. Stupid spam emails.

“That woman is going to be trouble,” she said taking a seat on the small sofa in the corner.

“That woman?” I asked finding the resentment in her voice to be something new.

“Yes,” she said with a scowl. “I can't stand women like that. They just stay with someone for money, or because it is easier than working for themselves. I would never stand for something like that form you.”

“From me?” I asked in a joking tone trying hard to change her mood. I could see I was being successful.

“Don't get a big head,” she said with a sly grin. “I think you should be better than that to who ever you date.”

Is she trying to friend zone me? If she would let me in I would do things to her that would require a chiropractor to fix.

“I have to much love for women to do that to anyone.” I said back. For women? How could I say that. I should have said you, but I will have to work that in some other way.

“If you dressed a little nicer you could get just about any woman you wanted,” she said with a smile. I could see that I had managed to change her mood completely.

“Any woman,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

“Well those shoes would have to go before you even begin to try,” she said locking eyes with me.

I wasn't sure if I should just come out and tell her how I felt, I didn't want things to get awkward. We had worked together for a long time now, and she was my paralegal when I was in the district attorneys office. When I quit she joined me Jerry McGuire style. If I take a misstep here thing could turn awkward. And while I didn't want things to turn awkward, my silence did just that. It totally broke the mood.

Lillian stood up and walked to the door. I started to say something but she walked out and closed the door behind her. Damn it all.