We filed into the conference room. You could feel the tension in the air, it was heavy. Lawyers didn’t like surprises and here was a room full of them scared out of their wits. As I scanned the room, eyes tried to catch mine, trying to see what was going to be announced seconds before the person next to them. My attention swept left and right and I tried to force a smile. I wasn’t here to announce bad news, after all. This was good for everyone. Their firm wasn’t going under and it would have if it hadn’t been for us.
My eyes were pulled to a group of lawyers at the side of the room, and something I couldn’t quite make out caught my attention. The faces gradually came into focus and there, standing behind the throng of chairs, she stood. Anna.My Anna. Looking straight at me, her mouth open, as if she’d seen a ghost.
Fuck.
I looked away quickly, and looked at the floor, trying to get my head together. My brain was fuzzy and I couldn’t organize my thoughts properly. She was here? She was a lawyer? The floor disappeared from beneath me as I tried to make sense of what I’d seen. I was meant to be saying a few reassuring words. She looked amazing. Different. Had Frank stopped speaking?
Fuck.
Getyour fucking shit together, Ethan. I brought my fist to my mouth and cleared my throat.
I looked up, stared straight ahead and tuned into what Frank was saying. He sounded beaten, exhausted.
As he introduced me, I clapped him on the back. “Thanks Frank. I’m delighted to be here today with a number of my colleagues from New York to announce what will be the start of a new dawn for both our firms. Allen & Smith has a fantastic reputation for quality and client service and we’re all looking forward to working more closely together in these coming weeks, months and years. The merger is effective from the end of the month, after which we will be rebranded as one firm. We have some time for questions.”
I concentrated hard on not looking in Anna’s direction. I couldn’t afford to be distracted on such a big day for both our firms.
The questions were inane and easy to answer, and I took each of them on auto-pilot.
Would there be redundancies?Did anyone really expect a straight answer to that question?
What would the new name of the firm be?“That’s still being discussed” was the official answer, although in reality the names Allen and Smith were being dropped.
Would there be opportunities to work in the New York office?We hoped to create opportunities of all kinds for people across the firm.
It was all ambiguity and bullshit. Two things I hated.
That was when I let my eyes be drawn to her. She was staring at her feet, not at me. What was she thinking?
We wrapped up and everyone trailed out. The rest of the day was spent in interviews with the legal press, meetings with clients and getting to know the other partners.Part of my role was to assess which of the partners made the cut. There was no doubt that people were going to get fired. We needed to improve profitability and quality, fast. That meant getting rid of dead wood. Frank would be the first to go. But I could tell today that he knew that and that he wouldn’t be a problem.
It was about 6 p.m. when things started to slow a bit. All in all, it had gone well. Apparently the legal press had been positive. I’d not seen it but my secretary passed me various articles throughout the day. I asked for a tour of the building to fill in the time before we went to dinner—the obligatory, first night in London welcome from the Allen & Smith partners. I really needed to check my messages but I wanted to see where exactly she worked and if I could spot her again. I insisted that Frank didn’t take me on the tour. He looked exhausted and could probably do with a break before dinner. Instead, Paul, a more junior partner showed me round. I tried to listen to what he was saying but really I spent my time scanning offices, trying to find her. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d say if I did come across her. I grinned at the thought of seeing her again. Although I’d only seen her for a few seconds, that open mouth she had was the same one I saw just before she came. Jesus, I could feel my cock stirring. Maybe seeing her again was not a good idea.
I slapped Paul on the back and suggest we wrap up the tour and head off to the restaurant.
Anna
I was waiting for Leah when she arrived, looking a bit flustered. I was a glass ahead of her. Wine not whiskey, which I was sure to regret tomorrow but right then I didn’t care.
I topped up my glass and poured Leah a glass, drainingthe bottle. I waved at the waiter, trying to get his attention so he could bring us more alcohol.
“Jesus, Anna, it’s a Monday. I can’t get hammered,” Leah said as she sat down and took a sip of her wine.
“So, I saw Ethan today,” I said.
Leah looked confused. “What do you mean you saw Ethan?”
I took another glug of my wine and nodded. “Ethan. In London. Announcing the merger.”
Leah had emailed me when the news had broken online about the merger. I hadn’t responded other than to give her a time to meet up this evening.
“What do you mean ‘announcing the merger’? I’m not with you.”
The waiter appeared at our table.
“We’re going to need more wine,” Leah said helpfully. At least she got that bit. “Start at the beginning.”
“I told you the staff announcement was at 10 a.m. We filed in to the big conference room and there he was. Standing next to Frank.”
