"Ugh fine," his shoulders slump. "We were just going to go check out that cool bar downtown. Meddle or something. Kelly got a table."
Fuck.
"Mingle, you mean?" I hope I'm wrong, but I know that I'm not.
With an excited nod, he gestures for me to leave the conference room first, closing the door behind us as we head toward my office. "Yeah! I guess her roommate booked table service, then had an emergency come up, and gave her the reservation since she had already paid the deposit like three months ago. So like, who knows when we'll get another chance like this? I've heard it's so cool in there! And they say there's even a secret back room."
I force out a guffaw of disbelief that sounds fake even to me, "A secret back room?"
"Yes!" his excitement nearly has him bouncing on his toes with every step. "A secret back room that's like a sex dungeon."
With a relieved breath, I shake my head. At least the rumors are mostly wrong. Yes, people definitely fuck behind the curtains towards the back of the space, but it's not a sex dungeon.
"Youhaveto come!" he insists, grabbing Kelly's hand to force her out of her cubicle as we walk by. "Kelly, tell her shehas tocome with us!"
Kelly squeals, "Oh, my god, yes! It's going to be so fucking cool."
There's absolutely no way I'm getting out of this and still going tonight. Mingle's whole thing is exclusivity; it's an intimate cocktail lounge. It would be impossible for them to miss me.
But if they start getting a little too tipsy, it wouldn't be hard for me to sneak away for twenty minutes to see afight.
"Fine," I hold up my palms, surrendering to their machinations. I'm not sure about the ethical implications of spending time with my colleagues outside of work, since I'm both their lawyer and their boss's lawyer, but where else am I supposed to make friends? I can go out with them from time to time, especially if it keeps them from finding out exactly what I get up to when they're not around.
"Yay!" Kelly claps. "My roommate’s cousin, her girlfriend, and their best friends, are coming, too! So there will be a group of us."
Even better.
The more of us there are, the less likely it is that someone is paying attention to me. As soon as I'm able, I'll find an opportunity to sneak away for a bit.
With a grin, I step away from them, backing into my office to grab my purse. "That sounds great. Am I meeting you guys there?"
"Why don't we just pick you up?" Kelly suggests, linking her arm around Antoine's elbow. "I don't live too far from you and my roommate’s cousin is sober so she's driving."
The lack of control in a situation like that gives me pause.
But rationally, I know it's hardly different than getting a rideshare or something.
I don't like those either.
Some might say that I have control issues.
But the truth is, I know what can happen the moment I don't have control over a situation.
Control is safety. It's a way out of harm.
It also tends to be a wall between me and anyone who might bring something good into my life. That's just the price I have to be willing to pay.
Jesus Christ, I do not need to be spiraling over this right now. It's a fucking ride to a bar downtown, not a ship to the middle of the ocean.
"Sounds great," I finally breathe.
She jumps up and down, beaming happily and jostling the giant man by her side. "Be ready at nine!"
"Nine, it is," I nod, stepping into the office.
The two of them follow shortly behind, observing me suspiciously.
Leaning over my desk, I shut down my computer, feeling their eyes on me.
