LAW
Call it muscle memory or maybe just good old-fashioned shock but my body doesn’t immediately recognize the panic signals my brain is sending out. Movement at the door finally breaks the paralysis and my hands land on her shoulders and push until there is a foot of space between us.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Liz pouts. “Don’t be like that. We’re so good together. You can’t deny it.” She's still reaching for me, trying to get closer.
I feel vaguely sick to my stomach.
The door to my office is slightly open. I walk out into the hallway and look both ways. Was there someone here? I hate the idea of any of my employees seeing me kissing Liz. Considering all the shit she’s put us through, she’d better hope Mya doesn’t catch her in here. My tie feels like it’s strangling my neck and my blood is rushing fast. I’m not sure why I’m so concerned about being seen but I feel an urgency to check the whole building. Speeding up, I enter the reception area, looking both ways.
Milo is next to the elevator holding a bag of popcorn in his hand. He pops a handful in his mouth but pauses mid-chew when he sees me appear probably looking like a madman.
“Everything okay, boss?”
“Yeah, I just thought I saw someone. You weren’t at my door a few seconds ago, were you?”
He shakes his head. “Might have been Mya. She was working late, too.”
“Okay. Yeah, it was probably her.” I rub the center of my chest with the palm of my hand. My heart throbs one more time, so hard it feels like some kind of heart attack.
By the time I get back to my office, I’m surprised to see Liz still standing in the middle of the room.
“You’re still here?”
Annoyance tightens her lips to a flat line. “Yes, I’m still here. Are we going to talk about this?”
“It’s over between us. It has been for a long time. I have a great life here and there’s someone…”
I’m not sure how to describe whatever is going on with Anya. My insistence on not putting a label on it seems a bit ridiculous now, especially since it’s clear that what I feel for her is something. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t feel so terrible about Liz kissing me. It’s not technically wrong but it felt wrong.
There’s only one woman I want to kiss.
“There’s someone.” I decide to leave it at that.
Liz shrugs but her nonchalant posture seems forced. “Okay. But just be careful. Your girlfriend isn’t as loyal as she seems.”
“Right. Because I’m going to take relationship advice from you.”
“I’m just saying, one of my employees is still friends with her.” She doesn’t say anything else but purses her lips.
My first thought is an immediate denial. There is no way. Anya isn’t like that. But how many times have I wondered how Liz’s agency was able to compete for so many of the same clients? They always undercut our bids as well. I’d assumed it was a side effect of Liz and I working together for so long. She knows how I think and as she always says, I’m pretty predictable.
It honestly never occurred to me that she might have inside help. Anya may not even realize that the gossip she’s sharing with her friend could be used against us.
“Even if that’s true, why would you tell me?”
“Because I feel bad and it’s time we wipe the slate clean.”
“I have to go.”
She says something else but I don’t hear it as I grab my stuff and leave. My mind is a jumble as past loyalties war with new experiences and the only thing I know for sure is that I’d rather be anywhere but here.
Anywhere but here turns out to be my car in the parking garage. The noise in my head started to subside once I was on the elevator. By the time I got in my car I was breathing easier. Being around Liz is like having my mental battery slowly drained. That woman is a vampire.
Before I can second-guess myself, I pull my phone out and call my brother. When he answers, I don’t even bother with hello.
“How did you know you could trust Joelle?”