She nodded and he pushed the door open, carrying a tray already laden with their drinks. “When do you find time to work?” she asked, accepting the latte and finally taking her feet off her desk to drop the sweetener in.
“Hey, it’syouwho wants to be partner. I’m happy to coast along making a shitload of money and doing what I need to in order to keep my job. I win enough cases to keep the bosses happy and lose enough of them to make sure they consider me usefully mediocre.” He sat down on the big leather sofa. “Why do you look like a baby bird who’s taken a dirt bath?”
Between sips, she filled him in on the disastrous meeting. He snorted coffee, making his eyes water, and she calmly watched him cough and sputter into a tissue.
“I’m so glad you think this is funny.”
“Come on.” He shook his head and settled against the couch again. “How many times are you going to make a fool of yourselfin front of her? And what does it matter that she thinks you were holding out?” His smile dimmed. “Wait, are you?”
She groaned, flipped through the files on her desk, and slid one toward him. “The fourth bullet on the list.”
He flipped it open on his lap and his eyebrows rose. “I take it that’s our dashing butch’s place?” He kept reading and blew out a big breath. “And you’re going to tear it down.”
“I’mnot going to tear it down.” Just the thought made her feel a little ill. “Black Pinnacle is going to take that long line of buildings down, which are nearly derelict anyway, and make something beautiful from them. The area’s been under regeneration for a while now. This is just another step in that direction.”
“Babe, I love you, but it’s just the two of us in this room, and denial is an ugly look on you.” He set the file back on her desk like it might explode. “Were you going to tell her about it before your flower bath?”
Marina swallowed hard, the bitter coffee making her stomach twist. “I don’t know. I want to. But I was trying to get more understanding of what she does so we know what kind of offer to make. Maybe I can sweeten the pot for her a little more than normal.” She shook her head. “But that’s not ethical. Just because I know her doesn’t mean she should get something the other store owners won’t.”
“True.” Rob shook his head and stood. “You shouldn’t go on any more deranged romantic walks with her, that’s for sure. You don’t need any accusations of conflict of interest.”
She nodded and gave a half-hearted wave as Rob left. The thought of not seeing River again left a weird, irritating feeling in her chest. Worse, she might only see her again across a table as they haggled over the sale of her business. One River loved and wasn’t likely to give up.
Marina threw herself into her work, unwilling to spend more billable time thinking about River and a situation that would only mess up everything she was working toward. Yvonne came and went, dropping off her suit and clearing files without so much as a word. Black Pinnacle had sent over several more contracts for other buildings in the city, and she’d gone over them intently, making suggestions and changing wording to tighten any possible loopholes. Real estate law was full of jargon, terminology that required great attention to detail. The nuance of words could mean winning or losing in court, and while she loved a good argument, it was better for the clients if no one could argue in the first place.
She put the last file for the day in her desk and locked it, then stood and stretched. It was already past eight at night and part of her considered sleeping on the couch tonight. But that was a bad habit to get into, and her work-life balance was already out of kilter. For good reason, sure, but she didn’t need to make it worse.
She exited the building and walked into the wall of people taking advantage of the cool evening air. Bars and restaurants were bursting with crowds, and she took it all in.
“Working late is a good sign that I’ve put my trust in someone admirable.”
Marina looked over her shoulder and saw Sheila leaning against a malachite green, two-seater Aston Martin. It was a car meant to show off wealth and class, and Sheila could have been the cover model for it. “Stunning.”
“Sadly, I think you mean the car, but that’s okay for now.” She ran her hand over it without taking her eyes off Marina. “I was hoping to catch you and see if you’d like to go for a drink with me.”
Marina hesitated, anxiety flaring. Was Sheila asking for a date, or was this business? And how did she say no, that shereally wanted to go home, eat a lukewarm microwave lasagna, and go to bed? “I’d love to.” What the hell. It might be her only chance to sit in a car that cost a cool half mill. Although, if she made partner, that might not be a pipe dream after all.
The drive was made in silence, and Marina didn’t want to fill the space with anything inane that would make Sheila think any less of her than she already did. She concentrated instead on the leather that felt like silk under her hands, the way the car glided along like it was on ice, and the way people stopped to stare at them as they moved by in the ever-present traffic. It was only when they stopped in front of a valet that she realized she hadn’t paid any attention to, or asked, where they were going. She followed Sheila into the building, where a massive chandelier hung above a single large white marble desk in an otherwise empty foyer.
“Eighteen,” Sheila said brusquely to the person of indeterminate gender and a removed stare standing at the desk.
“We’re meeting with others?” Marina asked. No one else seemed to be around.
“No, dear.” Sheila’s smile was like something carved by a knife.
Marina followed them through the lobby to the elevator cleverly concealed behind a floral display and realized her mistake as the maître d scanned their card to send them to the eighteenth floor.
The area was cool and chic, with couches meant for intimate conversations and windows that looked out over the city. A few people looked up and nodded or said hello as they passed, and Sheila was like a queen passing among them, handing out little acknowledgements while seeming a million miles above them. Marina didn’t miss the curious, and even envious, glances sent her way as she trailed along behind her like a lapdog.
Stop thinking that way. She’s your ticket to the top. Marina’s mental chastisement cleared her thinking, and she put on her game face as they took seats by the window that faced the outdoor patio.
“What a beautiful gem.” She motioned toward the view.
“Once again, I suspect you’re not talking about me, but that’s okay.” Sheila’s smile looked a little less sharp. “This is a private rooftop area. I’ve decided to rent it out one week each month for our staff to entertain our clients, or even just to enjoy it themselves if they’ve earned it.”
The caveat didn’t go unnoticed, and Marina wondered what exactly she’d need to do to earn that privilege. Sheila ordered them a bottle of wine and an appetizer of oysters without looking at a menu or asking what Marina wanted, which was neither of those things.
“Have you been to the south of France?” Sheila asked, her gaze penetrating.
