I shook my head. “No, sir.”
Riddle cleared his throat. “Good. In the meantime, get your best stuff together. Over the past few weeks, you’ve presented some amazing work. You two will be presenting after Greer and Jacobi.”
Internally, I groaned. I was sick and tired of playing this game with Greer, being subjected to his criticism every time we presented our designs. Our designs were getting better every week. Greer’s designs hadn’t been the greatest but nevertheless, he had convinced the partners that this was some sort of pissing contest between him and Porter to sew up the partnership. We couldn’t let that happen.
“Very well. You’ll be ready. Both of you will, I’m sure.” Mr. Riddle smiled.
“We will,” we said in unison, rising from our seats. The partners looked at us and gave us cautiously optimistic smiles.
Porter and I walked down the hall toward his office, passing a leering Greer and Jacobi as they talked in hushed tones with other associates. I ignored Greer’s impending scowl and turned toward Porter.
“A week? Porter, I don’t know about this. There is too much room for error. We cannot fuck this up,” I whispered.
“We won’t. We got this,” Porter whispered, leaning in so close I could feel the heat of his breath. “We’ll knock this out. I’ll get this partnership. You’ll be a senior associate in no time. Especially if I have anything to do with it.”
I smiled. “Wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest? Given that we’re, you know…”
Porter looked over at me with a smirk. “Why would it? Your talent alone proves you have a place here at the firm. Besides, by that time, Ari, we’ll disclose our relationship to the partners, right?” Porter’s eyes skirted over my face. “I told you, no secrets.”
“Of course,” I said, reassuring him. “But I want to earn my place here. Not because of our relationship.”
“I understand. Now let’s go in here and lock this thing up, partner!” He extended his fist for a bump. At that moment, I realized I didn’t have my iPad with me.
“Oh shit. I need to go back to the boardroom. I don’t have my iPad.”
I hurried down the hall, giving Ms. Gayle a warm smile as she passed by. As I was about to enter the boardroom, I heard the voices of Riddle and Robinson…and my name.
“Ari is no doubt talented,” said Robinson. “I can see she’s really pushed Porter to do some of his best work yet. He’s giving Greer a run for his money.”
“I agree,” said Riddle. “These past six months he’s done some out of the box thinking. They work well together, Earnest.”
“So, you understand my reservations.”
“I understand your reservations, but…”
Reservations? I leaned in closer to the slightly open door, my heart thumping in my ears.
“There is no ‘but,’ Douglas,” said Robinson. “I know you hiring her after her scandal at Leland was a risky move. One that has seemed to pay off. But you did it behind my back and I can’t risk her pulling a stunt like the one she pulled on that young associate. I don’t need her costing us hundreds of thousands, too.”
Oh god. Leland. Chicago. Maurice. My head rattled like a speaker in an old Chevy. The memories of that time crashed into me like a glacier, all at once, shattering the thin amount of security I’d felt. I braced myself against the wall and tried to catch my breath. No. This wasn’t happening. Not now. No. No.
Riddle sighed. “Earnest, we don’t know the full story there. Surely, you don’t think Ms. James lied about…”
Robinson scoffed, interrupting Riddle again. “I don’t know, nor do I want to know. What I know is that Leland wouldn’t have let her go without just cause. They have a reputation for excellence, as do we. But firms talk. This industry is insular, Douglas. You know this. Especially for a minority firm like ours. She’s a goddamn HR nightmare waiting to happen. We don’t need that kind of heat again. Thank our lucky stars that Greer had the foresight to come to me and tell me all about the whole payout and sexual harassment fiasco. You surely wouldn’t have.”
Greer? You have got to be fucking kidding me. But how? Anger pulsed through me, unsure if I wanted to punch something or cry.
I could hear Riddle shuffling around before responding. “Listen, I’m quite appreciative of Greer looking into this. Since his prior missteps, he’s had the firm’s best interest in mind. That’s something to consider in terms of the partnership.”