The Promotion (Contemporary Reverse Harem 3)

“Oh. That sounds bad.”

“She was very nice.” I hoped she’d let me leave it at that.

“Okay. We know that’s a euphemism for something undesirable. You’re not going to tell me what, though?” We pushed through our building’s revolving door into the madhouse that was the typical New York sidewalk. We fell into the stream of people pouring in both directions and without any discussion between us, we knew where we were going. Same place we always had lunch. I thought of it as our place.

Maizy didn’t know that, though. There was a lot she didn’t know.

“Yeah. Okay. She went on and on about how her friends were all having babies,” I said.

“Ohhhhh. One of those. I don’t know why women don’t just keep thoughts like those to themselves. They send guys running in the opposite direction. It’s really not that hard to figure out.”

We walked into our lunch place, a little diner owned by a Greek family, where they served the best comfort food you could imagine.

But to be honest, any place Maizy wanted to have lunch would be okay with me.

“You getting the regular?” she asked, looking through the menu.

As if either of us would ever deviate from the same thing we ordered every time we came. A BLT for me, and a cobb salad for her.

“So are you gonna call her again?”

Note to self: do not share date information with Maizy ever again. Too much mortification for one day.

She studied me. Thank god, she couldn’t read my mind. She’d know that what I really wanted to do besides eat a BLT was pull up her skirt and—

Stop it, asshole.

“Nah,” I said.

She leaned toward me on her elbows. “Well, I don’t blame you. Manhattan is full of great women, and you have your pick of the lot.”

Yeah, right.

“On a positive note…” I said.

Her face brightened.

“It looks like I’m getting promoted to partner. Senior partner.”

Her mouth dropped open, and then she shrieked.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!”

She had tears in her eyes. She was always on my side. Another reason I loved her.

I meant like. Another reason I liked her.

“You work so hard. You totally deserve it, Cato. We’re going out for drinks to celebrate!”

That’s what I liked to hear.

Except that we went out for drinks all the time. And that’s all it was. Drinks.

“I’m so proud of you, Cato. You are really tearing it up at the firm.” She leaned toward me. “Wouldn’t it be great if someday you and I could work together? We could really run the place, couldn’t we? We’d be so amazing. Although they say you shouldn’t work with friends.” She pursed her lips and gave me an oh, well look.

“Any word on your review? Eva given you any hints?”

“Ugh. She’s so awful. I guess I haven’t told you. She let me know that until I have a guy, like a fiancé or preferably a husband, that my opportunities at the firm will be, shall we say—limited.”