I flash a dazzling smile at the two women when they break apart and my girlfriend falls back to my side. Her arm slides through mine.
“And it’s nice to see you again, Finn. Are you well?” Rowena asks, staring at me expectantly.
We’ve only spoken a handful of times since Aubrey started at their firm, but she’s never been rude to me. If anything, I think she likes seeing how deeply I care for my best friend.
“Likewise. I’m here with Bree, so I can’t complain. And you?”
“The gala has been a success thus far,” she answers.
Blunt, calculating, yet somehow still sounding slightly warm, Rowena Shaw is exactly who you’d have been expecting if you’d ever heard a damn thing about her from anyone. It’s obvious why Aubrey’s soaring under her mentorship. This is a woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone and isn’t afraid to swim with the sharks to get what she wants. I don’t doubt that she’d bite her cheek and let one bite her if it meant getting to celebrate a win afterward.
I hand Aubrey the refreshed champagne glass and wink when she takes it with a flash of surprise. Her lips leave a red stain on the glass once she’s taken a sip and begun sweeping her eyes across the crowded ballroom.
“The last I saw, Spencer was attempting to shmooze with one of Graham’s past clients,” Rowena answers her unasked question.
Aubrey blinks. “Was he?”
“Mmm. I wouldn’t put it past Victor to have given him that specific task.”
A silent look is exchanged between them, and I keep my curiosity tapped down.
Aubrey brings her other hand to hold my forearm, allowing me to feel how clammy it is. “We should go say hello, then.”
“Try to avoid a spectacle.”
“Me? When have I ever made one of those?”
Rowena stares at her blankly, calling her out without needing to say a thing. I, on the other hand, do nothing of the sort. I snort a laugh and kiss her cheek.
“Never, baby. Not you,” I murmur. The corner of Rowena’s mouth twitches.
Aubrey rolls her eyes. “If I have, it’s because he deserved whatever I yelled at him. He’s got so much hot air in his skull it’s a wonder he’s able to come up with a single rebuttal to my arguments.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then. Come see me later on and let me know if I need to use my favour from Victor to have his protégé fired,” Rowena says, her voice low as she rubs Aubrey’s shoulder.
“I’d never let you use that on Spencer, but I appreciate the thought. I’ll see you later.”
Once Rowena’s accepted that and started toward a group of three men with her shoulders back and head high, Aubrey deflates a bit against me. I drop my eyes and frown, trying to read her.
“We can still leave. You’ve been seen here, so nobody can say that you didn’t come.”
“No. That’s not happening. That asshole isn’t driving me away because he’s decided to try and make me uncomfortable,” she declares, nose crinkling.
I nod, turning to face her. With the flats of my fingers, I stroke her cheekbone. “You haven’t told me the plan yet.”
“There really isn’t one. I’m going to tell him to eat shit, and then once he has a hissy fit, I’m just going to ignore him. I’ve decided that if he wants to use a bad dating history to try and ruin my reputation, then he can enjoy looking like a jealous prick. My clients know the type of lawyer I am, and I have to hope that what I’ve done up until now is enough to reaffirm their opinions.”
“I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” I murmur, tucking my fingers beneath her chin. “And I’m glad to be here with you.”
Her eyes turn a warm, soft shade of blue. “I’m happy you’re here with me. I don’t know how I thought I’d have been okay with taking a stranger here. You’re the only one whose arm I should be holding.”
“That’s all?” I poke, curious how much she’s comfortable with doing here with me tonight.
We didn’t really speak about the game plan before we left my place earlier, and I didn’t push the topic. Not when I was still coming down from the high of the words we shared.
“If you want to kiss me, Finn, then say so,” she whispers, snaking her tongue across her plump bottom lip.
My cock stiffens in my slacks. The scent of her perfume clings to her exposed skin and draws me in before I’m ready to give her the win. I dip my head just enough to kiss the tip of her ear first, forcing myself to hold back.
