A Counter Attack

Jordan Pemberton had it all, disgustingly handsome, fabulously wealthy, some earned, but mostly inherited, a gorgeous wife and two amazingly pretty daughters. So why do I hate him? To put it bluntly, Jordan Pemberton is an arsehole, but not your common garden type arsehole, oh no, Jordan Pemberton is a twenty-four carat, gold arsehole.

Jordan Pemberton was an associate in the same law practise as me. The difference being that, while he, like myself, is an associate, he will soon become a partner. His career prospects have been enhanced by the fact that this law practise just happens to be Pemberton and Associates, and his rise up the corporate ladder has more to do with this fact than his legal performance.

His law degree had more to do with Pemberton and Associates bequests to the Law school over the decades, than his academic performance. That bordered on non-existent, his focus being more on his sexual prowess than his studies.

His arsehole status stemmed from his ability to 'steal' girls from other male staff members, and, while he hadn't yet stolen one of mine, he was attempting so to do. It mattered not that he was married at the time, he would invite them to become a member of 'team Pemberton', his own private harem. He chose only those who showed promise in the legal profession. These he used sexually only as long as they also provided him with the research necessary for his success. One slip-up resulted in the unfortunate young lady losing her job. Failure was not an option.

There had been a slow and steady quantum shift in the commercial dynamics of the large town/small city of Rawleigh. The wealth of the 'them' sector had increased, while that of the 'us' had decreased. At the same time the number of the 'them' had decreased, and that of the 'us' had increased. While the combined nett worth of both sectors remained relatively static, the division of that wealth had changed.

My father is a lawyer, not a wealthy one, granted, but he has a much larger client base than that of the Pembertons, and it is getting larger. Sliding quietly under the radar, the fact that fewer clients could afford the fees demanded by Pembertons for legal representation, and sought the services of my father to represent them.

Laurinda Thomas is my current clerk. She has been with me for just under twelve months and we are an item, okay, we are lovers. I have taken her to meet my parents, who approve, and I have met hers, who also approve. Our relationship status, while we have not flaunted it in the office, has become common knowledge.

The day after it had been announced that Laurinda had been selected to join the dream team, I submitted my resignation.

"Tim, why are you doing this? Is it because I'll be working with Jordan? Darling nothing will change between us, you know that don't you?"

"That is not the only reason. I admit that I'm not at all pleased that he has chosen you, and I'm sure that nothing will change between us. I have been asked to join my father and I was sort of hoping that you would join me. It would mean a drop in income for both of us, but we would still be working together."

"I'll go and tell Jordan that I will not accept his offer."

"No, his offer is non-negotiable. If you reject it, he will ensure that your professional reputation is destroyed. It won't matter to my father, or to me, but our clients may not see that we can provide them with the best possible legal service."

"I want to discuss the ramifications of this with your father. There has to be some way around this."

Laurinda was not happy. She went to her desk and was soon on the phone. "Mister Burnley, I need your legal advice, it's a personal matter. Yes, I'd love to have dinner with you tonight."

We had work to do for Jordan, and while the temptation was there for me to sabotage his case, I resisted.

Laurinda walked out with me, not an uncommon sight, but when I unlocked my car, she slid into the passenger's seat. "Take me home Tim."

"But you have your car here?"

"I'm not going home."

"But...?"

"I have been invited to have dinner at your place."

"And when did this happen? Why wasn't I asked?"

"Would you have said no?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what's your problem?"

"There's no problem." I conceded.

"Then drive on."

"Yes Ma'am."

Dinner finished and with an excellent coffee, (prepared by me) at hand, we commenced our discussion.

"This is great coffee." Laurinda said after taking a tentative sip.

"I can't take all of the credit, but I am a dab hand with the automatic espresso machine."

"This problem you're having, tell me more?" Dad asked.

"I have had the greatest honour of being selected by Jordan to be his next assistant."

"I understand your problem, you don't want to accept that honour, would I be correct?"

"You've got it in one. However, it has been pointed out that rejection of this honour will be committing professional suicide. I have seen this happen before, and it ain't pretty."

"So, you're exploring your options, and they're not looking all that good."

"Tim came up with one suggestion that has possibilities."

"Oh yes, and what might that be?" He looked at me, not knowing what brilliant plan I had come up with.

"He has suggested that I join your practise. He mentioned that you had asked him to join you and suggested that there could be a position here for me, Is there?"

"Of course. I have looked at my situation very closely and I realise that, unless you joined us, Tim would not be as productive as I expect. Not to put too fine a point on this, if you don't join us, Tim's invite will be withdrawn."

"That's great because he's already resigned."

"As soon as the announcement was made, I knew that I had to come up with something, I couldn't have her spending all her time fighting off Jordan's advances."

"You do realise that this has the potential to get very dirty, don't you?" Dad asked.

"I've given this some thought, I'm expecting that, as part of his threat, Jordan will not give Laurinda a favourable reference."

"You think so?" Sarcasm is one of the things I like about her.

"If, when, he does, we can use that against him."

"Tell us more." Dad said.

"He will most likely phrase it in such a way that a prospective future employer will get the impression that she was fired because of her lack of competence. He is in no position to have been able to judge her competence, or lack thereof, her most recent performance appraisal attests to her competence. We have always provided him with the most competent case notes. He has never lost a case because of us. When he tries that on, we can sue for wrongful dismissal."

"They will fight and fight dirty, believe me, there will be some very pungent turds bouncing off the fan blades."

"We'll have to learn to duck, won't we?" Laurinda smiled.

"The secret is not to give them the opportunity to chuck shit at us." Dad said.

"How do we do that?" Laurinda asked.

"We prepare, we counter the inevitable before it becomes inevitable by making sure of our grounds and getting the evidence to support us. My dear, have you told Jordan that you will decline his offer?"

"No, I was waiting until after we'd discussed my options before I took the leap of faith."

"Okay, when you do, you'll be wired for sound. We'll fit you with a small Wi-Fi transmitter and I'll have someone outside to record what will be said. If he threatens your life in any way, this would be the icing on the cake, but a threat to damage your professional reputation will be almost as good. Also, if you can contact former victims, we will be able to build a case for this being a pattern of behaviour."

"I know of a couple, we've kept in touch since they were given their marching orders. Both of them had no warning of impending doom, they suspect that his wife found out about it. She has no intention of divorcing him, even though he had insisted from the beginning of their tenure that this was an inevitable conclusion."

"Did either of them find work in the legal industry?"

"No, it wasn't for the want of trying, but their references didn't help their prospects. One of the girls, Susie, has ended up working in her mother's dress boutique. The other girl, Jen, was engaged at the time. she got married and has two kids."

"Do you think that they'll support you?"

"I can but ask. I'll get back to you on that."

"Look at the time!" Dad exclaimed. "Because we need to get your wired before you go to work, I think you should stay here for the night. Don't get too excited, you need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow, so no hanky panky." He saw disappointment wash over our faces. "I shouldn't have to tell you to restrain your sexual urges, you're both mature enough to realise the need to control them."

"Yes Dad." We chorused.

We tried, swear to god we tried, but we didn't succeed in curbing our enthusiasm. That's what happens when you love someone and are presented with an opportunity like this.

Dad looked up from his coffee as we walked into the kitchen. "I should have known that it wouldn't work. Oh well, it's on your head if you stuff up."

We were both about to jump down his throat when he laughed. "If I'd found myself in a similar situation, I would have done the same. So why should I expect different from your."

"Listen to him," Mum said. "we did find ourselves in a similar situation, I couldn't walk comfortably for days."

"Too much information." Laurinda said from her smiling face as she bit into a slice of toast.

Dad drove us to work via a friend's workshop where Laurinda was fitted with her Wu-Fi mike. A wire was dropped from the mike attached to her bra cup to a wafer-thin transmitter strapped to the inside of her thigh. She spun around, we couldn't see any sign of it. "Testing, testing, I hope I can trust you not to get too excited when you remove this transmitter." She said to me.

"Define too excited?" I asked.

"I'll let you know when you've gone too far."

"Now, now children, we have serious work to do, we can't have you showing up in this mood now, can we?"

Laurinda received her summons to appear directly from Jordan. "Laurinda, I have taken the liberty of having your gear moved to your new office, if you would come with me, I'll show you around."

"Excuse me, how presumptuous of you. I have not accepted this appointment. What if I do not want to work with you?"

"But you will, no-one has refused this appointment, ever."

"Consider this a first. I have not, and will not accept. I am quite content in my present situation."

"You are aware of the ramifications of your refusal, aren't you?"

"Enlighten me."

"Life could become quite difficult for you."

"Bzzzt, wrong answer. If you wanted me to join you, you should have enumerated the benefits to me of such a move. Now this is not a situation that I am at all comfortable with."

Jordan had never experienced someone talking to him like this, if he didn't know better, he would think that she wasn't afraid of him, time for the big guns. "I understand that you and Tom Burnley are romantically involved, is that correct?" He asked.

"It is of no business of yours what I do outside office hours. Mister Burnley and I have a strong working relationship, that's all that matters."

"What would you say if I was to tell you that I have already proposed that your lover be dismissed."

"On what grounds?"

"I don't need a reason, let's just say that you're coming to work with me is part of the process of his dismissal."

"In my opinion, you could be letting yourself in for big trouble. Mister Burnley is a very competent lawyer, one with a good grasp of human resources and employment contracts."

"We'll see about that." He called me over. "I don't know how much of our conversation you have heard but consider yourself fired. You have one hour to vacate the building."

"On what grounds am I being dismissed?"

"Incompetence."

"Have you read my performance appraisals, witnessed by your father by the way, which point to a high degree of competence. My word to you is go your hardest, and while you're at it, have a chat with your father. I handed HR my resignation yesterday and he has sent me a copy of the reference that he has written that states that I have shown a higher than normal level of competence and that he is sorry to see me leave this practise. I will finish at the end of the week and he's arranged for his secretary to organise a farewell party. You will attend, won't you? I think that he's going to ask you to say few words expressing this practice's sadness at losing such a valued employee."

"We'll see about that!" He stormed off.

"Did daddy dearest really say that to you?"

"He certainly did, I was most flattered."

"Where does this leave me?"

"In limbo for the present. We'll just have to wait for Jordan's next step, In the meantime, come here."

We never did the chance to get up close and personal. "What have you done to Jordan?" Cameron, one of the other associates asked. "He came storming past at a hundred miles an hour, shoving aside anyone and anything that blocked his path."

"Laurinda told him that she was happy working with me and was not going to accept his invitation for her to work with him."

"Fuck, sorry about that, but let me tell you it's about time someone stood up to him. In his opinion, his shit doesn't stink."

"I'm waiting for the situation to calm down." Laurinda said.

"You're not going to tell him what a nasty piece of shit his son is, are you?"

"No, I have been offered a job that is better suited to my current circumstances."

"And I have been offered a job with the same practise that is better suited to my personal situation." I said.

"I hope that you both know what you're doing, your chances of getting work with a practise as big and powerful as Pembertons, well, let me put it this way, you have two chances, Buckley's and none, and Buckley's is not looking too promising."

"Who says that the offer came from another law practise?"

"But I, didn't you say," He looked at Laurinda, "you said that you'd been offered a job with the same practise?"

"I did, didn't I? Does it have to be a legal practise?"

He was still thinking about that when we reached the lunchroom.

Pemberton Senior was not a happy person. I had been summoned to his office within ten minutes of my resignation being passed by Human Resources to the Administration section, to the person responsible for the staffing issues, and from him to Pemberton Senior. "What is this?" He demanded, waving my resignation in my face.

"It looks like a resignation to me, my resignation."

"People do not resign from Pembertons, ever!"

My next words were not going to make him any less angry. "But you have no problems in dismissing young ladies when Jordan has grown tired of them."

"So, you're being the white knight for some young lady?"

"No, I'm being the white Knight for every young lady that has suffered that fate in the past, and any who may suffer in the future."

"Get out! You're fired!"

"No, I have resigned, and my resignation was in the hands of your HR. Manager before I was summons here."

"Was it?" He tore the paper up and threw it into his waste basket.

"I anticipated that." I wasn't about to tell him that I had a notarised copy of that resignation showing that it had been lodged before I was asked here, and before he fired me.

"Get out of my office, get out of my building!"

"See ya." I said brightly as I left. I got a brief smile from his secretary, Courtney.

A quick call to Dad before packing my things. "It couldn't have gone better. You were right, handing in my resignation had the desired effect. Jordan had gone to him complaining that Laurinda had refused to work with him, claiming that she was working under my direct orders, and that I must have told lies to her about him."

"So, what's your next step?"

"Laurinda is writing her resignation as we speak, citing sexual harassment, and her not wanting this situation to continue if she is forced to work with him. Unbeknown to me, she has kept meticulous records of each time he has, either touched her inappropriately, or made suggestive comments that hinted to his lusting after her. I've been thinking, if we had corroborating evidence from previous victims, we can establish that this is not an isolated incident, but a pattern of behaviour."

"I think that we should have an intensive planning session, and soon. If both of you are ready to start work next Monday, that can be the first item on the agenda. What do you think?"

"I think it's great, hold on a second, I'll ask Laurinda."

I quickly explained my conversation with Dad. "I think that it's great, I'm just about to hand in my resignation. I fully expect to be told to leave, just like you, so I don't see any problem in starting work with my almost family on Monday."

"Almost family? I haven't asked you yet."

"You'd better hurry before I change my mind."

"Laurinda Thomas, Darling, will you marry me?"

"Let me think about this, do I want to marry my boss' son? You bet I do. Yes, I accept."

"Dad, the latest news is that Laurinda is off to hand in her resignation and she has no problem in marrying her new boss' son."

Before she left to hand in her resignation, I regaled her with what happened to me When I was invited to meet with Pemberton Senior. "I loved your parting shot, I don't know whether I can pull it off, but I'll give it my best shot.

"I've been expecting this," Pemberton Senior said as he read the resignation letter. "Jordan tells me that you refused the position working directly with him. You do realise that opportunities like this don't happen every day."

"Read on." Laurinda said.

He skimmed through the letter. "Where did you get the idea that Jordan takes advantage of the women that he has working for him. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"Whose word are you taking, his or the victims?"

"I'm sure that, if you are telling the truth, I would have heard about it before this."

"I'm surprised that you haven't, you must be the only person in this practise that hasn't. The fact that you claim not to have heard about doesn't alter the fact that I do not want to find myself in the same position as my predecessors. I am resigning effective Friday and I will not lie to anyone who asks my why I'm leaving. Jordan has been going around telling anyone who will listen, that I'm the new chosen one. Let him explain why I'm declining the offer."

"I can't have you spreading lies to other staff."

"Are you accusing me of lying to you?"

"You leave me no option but to terminate your employment, effective immediately. You too, have one hour to leave the building."

"Okay, that's fine by me, see ya." She got an even bigger smile from Courtney.

We had packed our personal stuff into a couple of cartons and were just about to leave when Courtney arrived. "This one's for you," She handed me an envelope, "And this one's for you," She handed Laurinda hers. "Don't get too excited, there's no more than your entitlements, no bonus, no gold watch. "Will you be at home tonight?" She asked Laurinda.

"Probably not, if I play my cards right I'll wangle an invite to my fiancé's parents' house for dinner."

"Fiancé, why am I only just hearing about this?"

"Because it's only just happened." Laurinda said as she held her hand out to me and I went into her arms and kissed her.

"It looks like this departure has been planned for some time."

"No," Laurinda said, "It only happened when Jordan offered me a job that I had no desire to accept. We've been thinking about it for some time. Not the engagement, the work situation, neither of us has been given any credit for the work that we do. No thanks for a job well done after we'd spent days putting together briefing papers that provide the necessary information, as well anticipating opposing arguments. We do all the work and get no credit"