Free The Mogul by Michelle Marquis

Chapter One
     
    “I’ve been looking for a job for over three months,” said Candace Wilson, pouring a generous amount of blue cheese dressing onto her salad.
    Her friend, Mona Cox, nodded in sympathy. She sipped her white wine. “I know, Candy. It’s rough out there. I guess going back to work for Max is out of the question.”
    Candace grimaced at the mention of her old boss. He’d been one of the most successful corporate lawyers in town before the scandal broke. She sure missed the money, but definitely not him. “Totally out of the question. He’s been indicted on three counts of bribing a government official. I’m just lucky he didn’t try to implicate me in his crimes.”
    Mona finished off her wine and picked at her fruit salad. Her friend was a notoriously picky eater and often left her meals untouched. Candace hated to see the lovely fruit go to waste. She wondered if it would be out of line to ask the waiter to box up what Mona didn’t eat. Food was a scarce resource since she’d lost her job.
    “What about Max’s associates? Surely there are other lawyers in town who you met through the firm? Maybe you could contact one of them.”
    “I contacted all of them. Unfortunately, everyone’s trying to distance themselves from Max. I guess that extends to his former employees too. No, what I need is a job outside the paralegal world. I need to lay low for a while until all this stuff with Max blows over.”
    “Few things pay as well as a paralegal, Candy.”
    Candace sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Yeah, I know.”
    “The only thing I’ve heard of is an assistant job with Markus Grant. But you don’t want that. Markus keeps crazy hours.”
    “Markus Grant? The movie producer Markus Grant? That Markus Grant?”
    “Yeah, that’s him. So you’ve heard of him. His old assistant is on maternity leave for two months, and he’s been feeling around for someone to take her place until she comes back.”
    “I could do that job.”
    “Now wait before you jump too soon. Those movie people can be really hard to work for. This isn’t a nine-to-five job. Are you sure this is something you want to do?”
    Candace wondered if Mona was delusional. Of course she’d take the job if it was offered. She was getting desperate. Hell, she was about to throw down with Mona over some leftover fruit, for heaven’s sake. “I don’t care how difficult he is. No one can be as moody as Max. Who do I need to call to be considered?”
    “Since they don’t know you, I’ll have to call and tell him about you. But I’m not promising anything. A lot of people have been stalking him for this job, so he might already have someone.”
    “Okay, okay. When are you going to call?”
    Mona stared at her with her large brown eyes. She blinked once, probably wondering what Candace’s problem was. “I can call him when I get back to my office.”
    Candace forced herself not to jump across the table and hug her friend. “That would be great, Mona. Thanks.” She wolfed down the rest of her salad. “Oh, um, can you call me right after you talk to him?”
    “What if he says no?”
    “Then call anyway. I won’t be able to handle the suspense.”
    “Please don’t get your hopes up. All I can possibly get you is an interview.”
    “That’s fine, I understand.”
    Mona frowned and pushed her fruit plate even farther away than it had been. “If you do get an interview, you can’t act desperate, Candy. That will guarantee you won’t get the job.”
    “I know how to interview, Mona.”
    “I just wanted to get that out there.”
    The waiter came over and placed the check on the table. Candace pulled out her last ten dollars and handed it over.
    “Are you all done with this, ma’am?” the waiter asked Mona about her fruit plate.
    “No,” Candace said before Mona could reply. “Can we have it boxed up to take home?”
    The waiter gave Candace a knowing look. He picked up Mona’s plate and left.
    Candace smiled in