1
PROPOSITIONED
Brigit Farnay yanked openthe heavy glass door to the prestigious Porter, Gabriel and Sethfield wealth management firm and beelined toward the corner office. Newbies spun in their chairs, shouting friendly greetings, but Brigit didn’t acknowledge them. As she passed the open door to her office, she slowed.Forget about it.She shook her head and forged on.Seth needs to know.
“He’s on the phone,” blurted Kaleb, Robert Sethfield’s longtime assistant.
She waved him off and barged into her boss’s office.
Leaning back in his worn leather chair Seth spouted off about market trends. When he saw Brigit standing there his eyebrows shot up. After holding up two fingers, he pointed to one of his guest seats.
She offered a grateful smile, slung her black handbag onto a chair, and headed to the window. Traffic clogged the maze of D.C. streets while pedestrians skimmed the sidewalks with purpose. The plastic card she’d been clutching had warmed in her grip.Did I encourage his behavior in any way? Did I lead him on? No, never.
Her blood had simmered as lunch had drawn to a close, but by the time the taxi dropped her back at work, she’d reached boiling point. Shrugging off her fall coat, she folded it over her arm.
Seth hung up and swiveled toward Brigit. “Did hell freeze over?”
“Sorry I barged in.”
“It’s okay.” Seth furrowed his brow. “But you’re not. What’s wrong?”
In the five years Brigit had worked there, she’d never stormed into her boss’s office. Robert Sethfield expected his wealth managers to do their jobs and let him know when they needed an assist or an intervention.
“A client propositioned me.” She tossed the hotel keycard onto his desk and dropped into a guest chair.
“Aw, crap.” He stroked his silver goatee. “Who was it?”
She tucked a long blonde strand behind her ear and sucked down a lungful of air. “George Internado.”
“Shit.”
“We met at a restaurant on the Hill. Today was the first time he didn’t tell me a cute story about a grandchild or pontificate about a bill he was trying to get passed. What he did talk about was his wild weekend with his staff assistant that left him so exhausted he’d needed the week to recover.”
He shook his head. “Jesus, that’s out of line.”
“We’ve met every six months for the past four years. He’s always taken an avid interest in his wealth. But not today. He had zero interest in his investments and kept checking his phone. After the waiter cleared our plates he told me there were much more interesting things to discuss besides his money.” Brigit shifted in the chair. “I should never have taken the bait. I asked him what could be more important than his financial security.”
“Oh, no.”
“His exact words were, ‘You and me in a hotel room. Fifteen minutes.’” She shuddered, then hugged herself to quell the shaking. “He slid that card toward me and whispered how our afternoon could be as explosive as the Fourth of July.”
“What did you tell him?”
“He left before I had a chance. I’m pretty sure my face turned as green as the pesto salad I’d just eaten.”
“The good senator has been your client for years. What prompted this?” Seth removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and slipped the wire frames back on.
She shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. Six months ago, he mentioned having marital issues and how a staffer had offered him a welcome ear. Shortly after that, I heard a rumor his wife left him. Sounds like that assistant offered more than her advice.”
“I’d heard those rumors, too.”
“I listen to my clients chat about their families, their vacations, their goals, even their fears. I don’t care how much he’s worth or how this affects my paycheck. I can’t work with him anymore.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry this happened, Brigit. You want to take the rest of the day off?”
“No can do. My afternoon is packed, but thanks.” She stroked her silver corded bracelet. “He’s going to tell you I came on to him.”
“Well, did you?”
