in. Finally, Iris ended up with Mama Adel, her foster mother, who had provided Iris with a loving home and more attention than she had ever received in her life before. Iris was fourteen at the time and had joined two other girls at the house. Janna was then five and Macy was fifteen.
“Why do I need my key if you’re going to be there?” Janna asked.
Iris laughed. “I promise I’ll be there, but since you’re staying a few days, it’s best you have your key so that you can come and go with no problems.” They talked for a few more minutes before disconnecting.
Noelle Beckett, one of the partners at Thomas, Alston & Sinclair and one of Iris’s dearest friends, breezed through Iris’s open office door. Stylish, intelligent and full of life, Noelle was a fireball, always ready to take on any challenge. She had an insurmountable amount of energy and the tenacity of a pit bull. She would zone in on what she wanted and wouldn’t give up until it was hers.
“I’m glad you’re smiling and sitting down.”
The smile dropped from Iris’s face. “Why?” She shook her head and threw up her hands in mock surrender. “No, don’t tell me. I’m sure I don’t want to know. Just keep it to yourself until I leave.” Iris stood and began stuffing files into her briefcase. Tired, hungry and long overdue for time off from work, she had no intentions of taking on any more cases until after her three-week vacation. She slung her bag over her shoulder and then grabbed her purse to leave. Noelle blocked her path.
“Too late.” Noelle flipped long blond hair over her shoulders, handed Iris a file and sat in a guest chair facing the desk. “I know you’re planning to knock off early today, but we have a situation.” Noelle tugged her short skirt toward her knees, defeating her purpose when she crossed one tanned leg over the other.
Iris groaned and dropped her bags near her desk before reclaiming her seat. “We always have a situation,” she mumbled and opened the thin file. She lifted a magazine from it and held it up. “What’s this for?”
A wicked smile curved Noelle’s ruby-red lips. “Do you know who that is on the cover?”
Iris frowned and laid the magazine on top of the open file folder, and stared into the face of one of the most famous—and beautiful—men in the country. “Nash Dupree. So?”
“Sooo, that delicious eye candy wants to hire you to take care of a legal matter.”
“Nash Dupree? The Nash Dupree?” Iris’s clients included numerous high-profile people in the Atlanta area, but none who could match the wealth or the good looks of Nash Dupree.
Noelle grinned. “Yes, the tall, dark and sexy business mogul and president of Dupree Enterprises, who has graced the covers of almost every national magazine there is, contacted us a short while ago.” Noelle twirled the pen between her fingers and swung her leg back and forth. “He wants you.”
Iris lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Noelle laughed. “He wants you to handle his niece’s case. Although―” her friend placed both feet on the floor and leaned forward in her seat, putting her elbows on the desk “―once he lays eyes on you, he will probably want more than legal counsel.”
“Oh, please.” Iris waved her friend off and scanned the information sheet that one of the assistants had most likely put together. Mr. Dupree’s fifteen-year-old niece, of whom he was the legal guardian, was arrested for drug possession.
“Don’t ‘oh, please’ me. I hate when you do that!” Noelle banged her fist against the desk. “You are one of the smartest, most accomplished and selfless women I know, and don’t get me started on how gorgeous you are! If you would give the men out here half a chance, they would be knocking each other over to get to you.”
If it wasn’t Noelle, it was one of her sisters saying the same thing. Iris in no way saw herself as gorgeous, but to let one of them tell it, she was every man’s fantasy. Sure, she wanted to find her Mr. Right, fall in love and live happily ever after, but she lived in the real world. There was no way a man as hot as Nash Dupree would give her a second look. She was too tall and not skinny enough, and her skin was too dark. From what she’d seen, he only dated rod-thin, light-skinned women who made her look like the ugly stepsister, which was how she felt most days. Growing up with two “cute” foster sisters had done nothing to help Iris’s low self-esteem.
She glanced back at the magazine cover. Nope, no one who looked half as good as Nash Dupree had ever asked her out. She set the magazine aside and folded her hands on top of the file folder.
“Let’s get back to Mr. Dupree,” Iris said. “I mentioned to you and Kyle a couple of weeks ago that I wasn’t taking on any more cases until after I return from vacation. And just glancing at this information about the Dupree kid, either of you or one of the associates could handle this with your eyes closed.”
“When I talked with Mr. Dupree, I offered my services, but he insists you’re the one he wants. Have you ever met him?”
Iris shook her head as she glanced back at the information in the file. “Never. Did someone refer him or did he say exactly why he wanted me?”
“I don’t know if anyone referred him. I just assumed he wanted the best.” Noelle smirked, but shrugged when Iris narrowed her gaze. “Face it, Iris, you are the best. You not only have heart, but you’re the only defense attorney who can connect with these teens.”
Iris cocked her head. “What is this, Stroke Iris’s Ego Day?”
Noelle stood and tugged on her tiny skirt. “It should be. You have been winning cases left and right. With the victory today, the phones will be ringing off the hook with parents who have teens in trouble, or nonprofit youth organizations vying for your volunteer services. Mercy Youth Community Center won’t be the only agency begging for your time and expertise.” She stopped at the door and turned to Iris. “Oh, and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome will be here shortly. You might want to check your hair and freshen up your makeup.”
Yeah, whatever.
Iris glanced at her watch. It was going on four o’clock. Even if she were able to take on the case, by the time she heard Mr. Dupree out, it would be too late to go before a judge, which meant his niece might have to spend the night in juvenile detention. It also meant Iris might be late meeting with her sisters for dinner, and she would never hear the end of how she always put work before them.
“Iris,” her assistant said from the doorway before walking farther into the office. “Mr. Dupree is waiting for you in conference room B. Also, I talked with Mahone Construction this afternoon and put the information you requested inside your to-be-read file on your computer.”
“Melissa, you’re the best,” Iris said to the short, thin woman whom she couldn’t imagine her life without. Melissa had been with her for the past three years and she was Iris’s right arm, keeping her professional life organized and her personal life drama-free. She was the person who helped maintain what little sanity Iris had left. “If I’m not out of this meeting by five o’clock—”
“I’ll come a-knocking.” Melissa smiled and strolled out of the office.
Iris gathered the file, a notepad and her favorite pen. She would hear Mr. Dupree out, but let him know that she would have to assign someone else to his case. She moved to the door, but stopped. It wasn’t every day she had the opportunity to meet someone like the sexy
