Playing Their Games

Book 0: Playing Dirty

by Kiki Swinson

Genres: Conspiracy Thrillers

Synopsis

National bestselling author Kiki Swinson burns up the page with calculating characters, ingenious plot twists, and a ruthless depiction of Southern conniving, rising—and taking the final hard fall. Now she brings you back to the start of
wildcard lawyer Yoshi Lomax’s career, where her first elite white-shoe-law job puts an inescapable target on her back …
NO ONE SUSPECTS …
Never one to play by any rules, Yoshi Lomax is determined to make good at an internship with one of Manhattan’s most prestigious law firms. She’s being mentored by the brilliant twin brother legal lights who are her parents’ friends.
And with her unexpected knack for helping the city’s wealthy, powerful clients finagle their way out of major trouble, even she is surprised at how bright her future shines …
NO ONE WILL TELL …
Until Yoshi discovers the firm uses any means necessary to get their clients off—including kidnapping, life-destroying scandal, and murder. And the dark heart of the company is a super-secret society fueled by dangerous desires that have no
limit—and no way out. Even for the ever-resourceful, ethically dubious Yoshi, this is bad news she wants no part of …
NO ONE CAN SURVIVE …
Now armed with secrets too lethal to keep, Yoshi will leverage all her skill and unpredictable maneuvers to take down the twins. But with those she cares about most on the firing line, will her one unthinkable play too far be the move that takes her down for good?

Release date: June 28, 2022

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 256

Sample

Today marked my sixty-first day working at the law firm. I was officially off my probation period. That meant, full medical benefits, sick leave, and vacation time. The pay sucked, but driving a company car and having full access to one of the firm’s black American Express credit cards made up for it.

The law firm was owned and operated by identical twin brothers, Aaron and Noah Weinstein. The Weinstein brothers were some very powerful and well-connected men. They’ve been practicing law for over thirty years. Their law firm was located a block over from Wall Street. Both men moved in the same manner. They spoke using the same lingo. They laughed the same. Their hair was the same. They arrived to work at the same time. They drank the same type of coffee. They hung out at the same bar after leaving the office. And they loved a great game of chess.

The only way I knew how to tell them apart was when one wore a black suit, the other would sport a blue suit. In their own unique way, both men had their own sense of humor. At the end of the day, they would tell jokes and see whose was the funniest. Aaron managed to get more of the staff members to laugh at his jokes versus Noah. They were both corny in my eyes, but they signed my paychecks, so I laughed every time they opened their mouths.

“Getting ready for that bar exam?” Noah asked me as he walked casually into the office his paralegal, Jillian Parks, and I shared. Jillian was not only Aaron and Noah’s paralegal, she was my supervisor too. At first glance, she looked like a dingy-ass white chick in her late twenties. From what I heard, she’d been working for Noah for a couple of years now and thought she ran things. I, for one, noticed how she bullied the receptionist in the waiting area of the office, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if she treated me like that. She was so short and thin, all I would have to do was blow on her and she’d fall down to the floor. That’s just how tiny she was.

I smiled. “You know I am,” I told him, and then I looked back down at the screen of my computer and pretended to be working hard on a deposition Jillian had me recording in a file for a client Noah was representing in a sexual harassment case.

“Have you spoken to Bill yet?” Noah asked Jillian as he stood before her desk.

“Yes, I just spoke with him right before you walked in here,” she replied. But I knew she was lying. I’d been at my desk for the past hour and she hadn’t talked to anyone on the phone. But she knew that if she told him that she hadn’t called his client Bill, he’d chew her ass up and spit her out.

Bill Stanley was one of Noah’s millionaire clients. He was the founder and CEO of an investment firm in Manhattan. Bill was currently being sued by a former female employee. Bill wanted this suit to go away, as quickly and quietly as possible. If this suit went to trial, this would ruin his reputation and perhaps bankrupt him. More important, it would put him behind bars for a long time. This would put a stain on Noah’s acquittal rate too, and he wouldn’t have that. Not in this lifetime.

“Has Mary from the U.S. Attorney’s Office gotten back to you with a date?” Noah’s questions continued.

“No, she hasn’t. But if I don’t hear back from her by three, I will call her,” Jillian assured him.

“Sounds good,” he said, and then he turned around to leave. As he was exiting the office, my boyfriend, Troy, walked by. Troy looked in our direction, but when he saw Noah leaving our office, he tried to turn his head back around to avoid eye contact. That didn’t stop Noah from calling his name though. “Hey, Troy,” Noah called.

Troy stopped in front of the doorway. “Yes, sir,” he said.

“You’re just the man that I want to see,” he replied as he walked toward him. “Follow me to my office,” Noah instructed him, and then he led the way.

I could see the look in Troy’s eyes; he wanted to kick himself in the ass for running into Noah. He knew Noah better than everyone in the firm, except for Aaron. Troy was a preppy white guy. He was also a junior partner, and because of it, Noah expected a lot from Troy. Troy basically handled all of Noah’s dirty work. He and I had been dating for a month, and one night not too long ago, he and I got drunk at his apartment and he slipped up and told me that Noah used him to pay off witnesses that were involved in his client’s court cases. He even had a hand in some jury tampering too. After he realized what he had told me, he begged me not to say a word about it to anyone. I promised him that I wouldn’t utter a word. Not even to my parents, since they knew Noah and Aaron on a personal level and were the reason why I got the job hookup in the first place.

“Are you almost done with that deposition?” Jillian asked me.

“Almost,” I told her.

“How much longer?”

“Maybe another ten minutes.”

“Okay, well, hurry up,” she instructed me.

I looked up from my computer and looked over at her. “Are you all right?” I asked nonchalantly. But I was really trying to be sarcastic. But the bitch ignored me, grabbed her telephone, and made a phone call, while I waited for her to answer me. I swear, I had so many names formulated in my head that I’d rather say verbally, but I kept my mouth closed. The word bitch wouldn’t have been the first name that came out of my mouth.

“Hi, is this Bill?” she started asking through the receiver. I guess she was trying to cover her fucking tracks before Noah got a chance to talk to Bill and found out that she hadn’t talked to him, when she told him she did. I knew that she was a bona fide liar, and that she was someone I needed to keep an eye on. The shit I went through back in Virginia while I was in college molded me into a renegade, but I made it so that you wouldn’t see it on the surface. I was calculating, and that was my strong suit.

“Noah wanted me to remind you about tonight’s meeting at the lounge on Eighth Avenue,” she said, and then paused. “Okay, great. And don’t forget to bring the new documents you were served yesterday.” She continued to talk and then she fell silent again. “Sure, I will let him know.”

Immediately after Jillian ended the call, she got up from her desk and left the office. Normally, she’d tell me if anyone was looking for her that she was taking a bathroom break or getting coffee, but she didn’t open her mouth.

“Fucking bitch,” I mumbled.

She stopped in midstep and looked back at me like she had heard me. “Say something?” she asked.

“I was talking to myself.” I lied and gave her a sly smirk.

She rolled her eyes and exited the office.

A few seconds later, Troy come strolling into my office. He looked east and west before he stepped over the threshold. “Hey, baby,” he whispered as he rushed over toward my desk. As soon as he came within two feet of me, he leaned in to kiss me on the lips.

After our lips connected, I pushed him back a little. “You know better. What if Jillian would’ve walked in here and saw us kiss?” I said nervously.

“I saw her go into the bathroom, so she’ll be a minute,” Troy told me, hoping to calm me down.

“What did Noah want?” I changed the subject.

“He wants me to tag along with him when he meets up with his client Bill.”

“But tonight was supposed to be our night. We planned to get Chinese and rent a movie.”

“I know, baby. But Noah sprang this on me at the last moment. And I couldn’t say no. He’s my boss,” Troy tried to explain.

“Just admit that you’re afraid of him,” I teased.

“Come on now. You can’t be serious.”

“Well, you better man up and act like it,” I teased once again.

“So, how’s your day going so far?” He changed the subject.

“Jillian is being a bitch today, trying to boss me around. But other than that, it’s just a workday for me. What about you?”

“Everything’s good.”

“Well, why did I see you trying to avoid Noah when you walked by a few minutes ago?”

“Oh, because I knew he was going to have me do something for him. He never approaches me unless he wants something.”

I chuckled. “Sounds like the story of my life,” I said, and then I looked at Jillian’s desk.

“Speaking of which,” he said, and before he could finish his sentence, Jillian walked back into the office. She looked at me first and then she looked at Troy. “You know the rules, Troy. No fraternizing with coworkers, especially someone that just barely made it past their probationary period,” she commented as she strolled over to her desk and took a seat in her chair.

Troy looked back at her, like she had just lost her damn mind. “Is that what you think I’m doing?” he asked her.

“It looks that way to me. But not only that, she has work to do,” she replied as she shuffled papers around on her desk.

“Say no more,” Troy said, and then he turned his attention toward me. “Thank you for the number to that eatery,” he continued, and then he moseyed away.

I was a little puzzled by his choice of words. But then I realized that he had to say something to make it appear that he came in here for something other than flirting with me. I must admit that he’s one clever guy.

“Done with the deposition yet?” Jillian wanted to know.

“I will be in a few minutes,” I told her while staring down at my computer monitor.

“Well, I suggest you get to it.” She wouldn’t let up. This lady was truly riding my ass. There was no question in my mind that she didn’t like me. From the first day I walked into this place, she had done nothing but give me a hard time. On several occasions, I wanted to bring her behavior toward me to Noah and Aaron’s attention, but then I decided against it, for fear that it would trigger some backlash for me. And besides, I could handle her if I wanted to. Being in college taught me how to pick and choose my battles. This battle right here between Jillian and me was of no significance at this stage of the game. But if I woke up one morning and found out that I was losing sleep behind that tramp, then I’d have to reevaluate things. Until then, I would handle her with a long-handled spoon.

It became radio silent after I finished logging the deposition into the system. Once finished, I started sending out overdue payment letters to Noah’s clients. While I was doing that, Troy started calling me. I had my cellphone on silent to keep Jillian from hearing it, but that nosey-ass heifer noticed how often I was picking up and putting my cellphone back down and turned around and gave me the evil eye.

“Why do you keep checking your cellphone?” she asked.

“It’s my mother.”

“Then you need to go on break and communicate in the lounge area. Not here at your desk,” she scolded me.

“Say no more,” I said, and then I got up from my desk and exited the office.

I knew Jillian was eyeing me down as I walked away, but I couldn’t care less about her thoughts. They meant nothing to me. She meant nothing to me, and that was the way I intended to keep it.

I decided to go to the ladies’ room, and while en route, I strolled by Noah’s office. I could tell that he was on a phone call because no one responded out loud. But whatever person he was talking to was certainly feeling his wrath. I wished that I could see the expression on his face, but the wooden door to his office was closed. “You arrogant son of a bitch! I am the head of our brotherhood, and my brother sits on the board next to me. If you have any grievances, I am the person you address them to, not my fucking treasurer, you fucking moron. And if you continue to challenge me on the issue, I will uninvite you to our annual party,” Noah roared.

Boy, was he giving it to whomever he was talking to on the other end of that phone. Mr. Noah was a beast, and the people he employed at this firm knew it too. I decided sixty days ago that I was going to get all of the knowledge I could from the twins, and when I was done, I was out of here.

While I was heading to the ladies’ room, I called Troy and told him that I would be indisposed for a few minutes. He knew that it meant I was going to the bathroom and said I should save it and give him a golden shower. I didn’t respond and he knew why. This wasn’t his first time asking me to do this. Troy was a freak. He’d try anything. I, on the other hand, had my limits, and this was one of them.

The ladies’ room was empty and I was glad of that. I hate sharing. On my way back out, I bumped into another junior partner at the firm. His name was Martin Colvin, a Markie-Mark of Markie-Mark and the Funky Bunch look-alike. Martin was a young white guy, a kiss ass for the twins. I never asked, but he looked like he was in his early thirties. A few times, I caught him making wisecracks about “black people in the ghetto.” I never found him funny, but he had a few weirdos that would laugh with him. “Hey, Yoshi, what’s up?” he asked, smiling from ear to ear.

“Hey,” I replied, and immediately zoomed into the white powdery substance around the outside of his nostrils. “You got something white around your nose,” I added. I knew what it was, and he knew I knew it.

“Really?!” he said, and tried to wipe his nose with the back of his hand.

“It’s still there,” I continued nervously.

At that moment, he raced back in the men’s room. “Fucking lame!” I chuckled at the clown. After he took the second step, I saw that he dropped a small Ziplock bag of white substance. I started to call his name, but something tugged at my curiosity, so I picked it up, looked around to see if anyone saw me, and then I balled it up in my hand and carried on.

As I continued on to my office, I bumped into Noah’s twin brother, Aaron. He was escorting one of his clients to the elevator. He and his client said “Good morning” to me and moved along. Before I turned the corner, Aaron called my name. It sounded like his voice was coming from behind me, so I turned around and, what do you know, he was standing in the middle of the hallway. “Hey, what’s up?” I asked him.

“Would you come into my office for a moment,” he insisted.

“Sure,” I told him, and made a U-turn.

He waited for me to approach him, and when I got within arm’s reach of him, he and I walked, side by side, into his office.

“Have a seat,” he said as he pointed to one of the chairs placed in front of his desk. “How’s your day been, thus far?” he added.

“It’s going great,” I told him. “What about you?”

“As expected,” he continued, and took a seat in his chair on the opposite side of the desk. “I brought you in here to ask a favor.”

“What is it?”

“I’m having a dinner meeting tonight at my home and I would like for you to attend.”

“What kind of meeting is it?” I wanted to know.

“It’s a meeting with a potential new client.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Just be present. You know, sit back and look pretty. He adores beautiful women such as yourself.”

“And what time is this meeting?”

“Eight o’clock tonight.”

“Is there anything in particular you want me to wear?”

“Glad you asked. Put on one of those formfitting dresses I see models wearing. You know, the ones that make you look like you’re on the runway. a little.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t own a dress like that.”

“Oh, no worries, tell my assistant to give you one of the company cards on your way out.”

“Oh wow, okay,” I said, surprised. Now that’s some boss shit there.

Mr. Aaron gave me a few more instructions and then he excused me from his office. I grabbed the American Express card from his assistant immediately after I exited the room. I flipped the credit card over to the back and then I flipped it back over to get a good look at it. Seconds later, I realized that I was holding the most prestigious credit card ever made. I could literally buy an apartment with this credit card because there was no credit limit. I was hanging with the big boys now and it felt good. There’s only one way for me to travel and that was up.

After the meeting I had with Aaron, I wasted no time to tell Troy about it. When I entered his office, he was on the phone. I waited by the entryway of his door and waited for him to wrap the call up. I only had to wait a few seconds and then he gave me his undivided attention. “You won’t believe what just happened,” I started off my conversation.

“I’m all ears.”

“Aaron just invited me to a dinner meeting at his home later tonight.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“A meeting for a potential client.”

“And he just invited you to be there?”

“Yep, and he just gave me one of the company’s credit cards to go buy a dress,” I explained, and then I flashed the credit card for Troy to see.

Troy’s whole mood changed. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“No, I’m serious.”

“Do you know what happens at those meetings?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“Sex. Sex happens at those meetings.”

“Well, you know that’s not what I’m about. And I don’t think Aaron would invite me to that kind of a meeting.”

“What makes you think you’re so special? Do you know how many interns and secretaries this firm has gone through? Noah and Aaron use them to bait in new clients.”

“Is that an insult or what?”

“I’m trying to get you to open your eyes.”

“They’re friends of my parents.”

“Forget all of that, you’re not going to that meeting, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

“I’ve already accepted the invitation, so I can’t go back on my word. And besides, he’s my boss, I can’t say no to him.”

“Well, you better make up a lie. And I’m done with this conversation.”

“Troy, don’t talk to me like that. The conversation is done when I say it is done.”

Before Troy could make a rebuttal, Aaron’s twin brother, Noah, walked up. He peered into the doorway. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“What’s up?”

“Aaron has a new potential client meeting tonight and I want you to tag along.”

“So the other meeting you and I had tonight is off?”

“Yes.”

“Yoshi just mentioned that she was invited to the meeting as well.”

“Yes, she is, and I know with her, you guys are going to bring it home,” Noah continued, and slapped the door with enthusiasm. “Do us proud, you two.”

I smiled. “Count on me,” I replied.

Troy gave me the look of death. I could see his blood boiling on the inside from where I was standing. “Well, I guess that’s my cue. I gotta get back to work,” I said, and then I tapped the door and left. I knew I would hear his mouth later, but by then, he would’ve calmed down. Or at least I hoped so.

After Yoshi and I left the offic. . .