Destination D Read Free

knocked the wind out of her.
    â€œListen, Judge Ferguson just called to tell me that the two cases in front of ours settled so the whole docket has been moved forward. The court date for the Johnson vs. Tyfish Systems' case is in two weeks. I need those files that you were working on by the end of the day, today.”
    â€œBut, I'm leaving early today. Hello, are you there?”
    There was silence at the other end of the phone, and then Amanda heard a loud sigh. She knew it was the beginning of her orchestrating a guilt trip.
    â€œI told you last month that I needed to take a half day today because of Tracey's graduation party,” Amanda said.
    â€œYes, I remember,” she answered with a hint of bitterness in her voice. Amanda imagined this woman confidently propping her high-heeled Christian Louboutin pumps on her mahogany desk as she always did when she got irritated when the person on the other end of the phone was telling her something she didn't want to hear.
    â€œBut I can get it to you by the end of the business day on Monday. Is that all right ?”
    Agitated, the attorney flung her chair around, abruptly removed her feet from her desk and was now at full stance. “Listen, Amanda, I knew at some point this was going to happen. Don't make us go down this road today, okay? I see resumes come across my desk every day from paralegals that are just itching for the opportunity to work with this law firm. Now, if you can't handle a little extra work load, I can give one of them a call.”
    â€œBut…”
    â€œGotta go, I have a call coming in. See you at 5:00!” The attorney abruptly slammed the phone in Amanda's ear.
    â€œI can't stay…hello?” Click. “She hung up on me!” Amanda stared at the receiver. Her hands trembled as she attempted to place it back in its holder. She looked at the clock: 12:05 p.m. She closed her eyes and ran her fingertips gently up and down the back of her head in hopes that the pain and the thought of that woman would both go away.
    I've been planning this party for Tracey for months, and now the day has finally arrived, and it took her all of five minutes to ruin it. She clinched both fists, raised them above her head, and violently shook them as she screamed in silence.

    Pamela Madison was the firm's only black female attorney. She'd graduated in the top ten percent of her law class at Columbia University and was known for her intimidating tactics in the law firm as well as in the courtroom.
    Pam's reputation preceded her. Moving from a prestigious law firm in Chicago, she quickly learned many effective yet unscrupulous tactics, making her well sought after by several prominent law firms across the country. Sterling, Mathis, and Silverman nabbed her with a lucrative bonus and a six-figure salary that primed her to be the first black female partner in the firm.
    Although Pam could be ruthless, you had to admire the singular quality that put her a cut above the rest: Pam knew how to get what she wanted. The problem was that she didn't care who she hurt in the process. She was the first attorney to arrive at the office each morning, and the last to leave every night.
    Always poised to strut her credentials confidently, Pam was notorious for un-leveling the playing field with the prosecuting attorney that was going up against her in the courtroom. And once she found the person's weak spot, she was merciless. One case in particular was a widely publicized sexual assault.
    Pam had stood next to her client in the courtroom. A small smiled played across her lips. She leered at Allison Hughes, the opposing attorney who was decked out in her finest courtroom attire. Her exquisite tailor-made pantsuit gave the impression that she was at the pinnacle of her game, but Pam knew that Allison was no match for her. In an icy tone, Pam had whispered to Allison, “I hope you're getting plenty of rest, because you're going to be worn out after you lose