I blink. Did he just imply I was sexy? It抯 hard to tell, given how pissed off he sounds about it.
揟hese are Louboutins,?I reply as the driver pulls onto Ocean Drive. 揘o dominatrix could afford them.?
揑 think you抎 be surprised,?he says casually.
揥hat抯 not surprising,?I mutter, 搃s that you抮e so familiar with what they charge.?
He gives an unwilling laugh. 揟hat抯 not my kink.?
Which suggests he has a kink. I picture him handcuffing wrists to a headboard. My eyes flick to his hands, and that deeply troubling ache thrums between my legs again. I shift in my seat, trying to will it away.
揕et me do the talking today,?he says.
Ah, there抯 the dose of cold water I needed. 揃ut of course, sir,?I snap in response, and I swear to God his nostrils flare, as if he liked it. Which lines right up with the handcuff fantasy.
The air in the car is suddenly too warm. I fiddle with the front of my jacket, undoing the buttons. Ben抯 eyes dart to my chest then veer away just as fast.
We arrive at the offices of opposing counsel and are shown to a conference room, where five attorneys wait梩hree partners and two associates, which is absolute overkill and leaves me feeling giddily optimistic for Margaret梚f they抳e got three partners in here for this, they know it抯 serious.
It抯 all very civil, at first. It always is. There is the standard bullshit about the weather. They ask where we are staying and if we had a chance to go to dinner last night. One of them says we need to go to La Mar the next time we抮e here. And then Aronson, the lead attorney, folds his hands on the table and shakes his head, signaling it抯 time to get down to business. 揕ook, Miss Lawson does not have a leg to stand on.?
Right. That抯 why you抳e got three partners in here.
Ben leans back in his seat, steepling his hands on his flat stomach. He抯 so long that this movement should make him look gangly and awkward. Instead, he just looks more powerful, more confident. 揑抦 not sure how you arrived at that conclusion.?
揝he had several negative reviews in a row and received countless warnings about her behavior,?Aronson says.
My foot begins to tap furiously under the table, and Ben gives me a warning glance.
Aronson sips his coffee before he concludes. 揗y client had no choice but to move her out of a management position.?
揑t抯 curious, isn抰 it, that she didn抰 have a single negative review until she asked for a promotion??I ask. I抳e already ignored Ben抯 request, but his request was stupid. 揂nd that men in junior positions were earning more than her??
Aronson glances at the guy beside him, who then slides a folder across the table. 揟his is what we抮e prepared to offer: Fiducia will give her an additional six months of severance in addition to the amount in her contract, along with a letter of reference.?
It抯 the most insulting offer I抳e ever heard. I抦 gripping my pen like it抯 a neck I抦 trying to wring.
揇o you seriously think,?Ben replies, 搕hat after a decade of employment discrimination and a wealth of hostile workplace complaints lodged against Fiducia, I抦 going to advise my client to walk away with six extra months of severance? That抯 less than the cost of this meeting.?
I抦 glad he said it. If he hadn抰， it would have burst from my lips before I could stop myself.
揟his is probably the best we can do,?Aronson replies. 揥e might be able to go up to a year, but that抯 it.?
Ben rises. 揗y associate and I flew across the country for this bullshit? See you in court.?
Aronson looks at his colleagues and back to us. 揟ate, be reasonable. You don抰 have a case. She抣l get shredded on the stand.?
揥e wouldn抰 have taken it if we didn抰 have a case,?Ben says, 揳nd now that you抳e pissed me off, I抦 going to devote every available resource to making sure you regret what抯 occurred today. When I抦 through with Fiducia, they抣l be groveling to the press and restructuring their entire company.?
It抯 exactly the kind of threat my future husband, owner of a small-town bar or struggling ski lodge, won抰 make. He抣l be the kind of guy who is philosophical in the face of adversity, rather than the sort條ike Ben梬ho clearly wants to punch adversity in the face.
But I can抰 help it. When we get out of the building, I抦 smiling. I turn to look at him and I抦 still smiling, even though I really wish I could stop.
He blinks at me for a moment, and then something in his face softens. 揕iked that, did you??
揙f course not,?I reply, climbing into the car.
揝ure you didn抰。？The corner of his mouth lifts just a bit.
揝o卐very available resource??I ask, slightly too eager.
揑 want every goddamn employee review they抳e ever written. And every single expense report. I can抰 believe they pulled this shit, but I guaran-fucking-tee they won抰 do it again.?