going well. A l

ceiling window, a huge mahogany desk with nothing but all her awards on it. For the first time, she and her father, Marvin Baker, had walked into a boardroom side by side -she wasn

was

hone buzzed with invitations-legal summits, panel talks, gala dinners, and those private b

hing she thou

than a list of accomplishments and achievement

he came across an video of a club opening having around her vicinity. Sh

. This one was beneath her. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and cheap liquor. The light was dim and the musi

pproachable kind. Not the che

hat didn't blend in. The k

dn't come

me to

pressure. No expectati

but she was a big girl. Bes

vious manner. Just enough that she knew that he'd been watching

had the confidence of a top membe

ere old friends. "Didn't think you

tightly.

er. "You're hot

he wasn't going to waste h

ched out to grab he

asides an heavy bond

she said, voi

wed her words. H

it on the man, it was him hitting the ground with a loud th

his back. The bouncers arrived just in time to pull the c

ed to thank

as alrea

wd like a dream that didn

-

t about hi

on through her priva

gged. "Must've come in through the ba

gh

bothe

use she could

she couldn't

Like he wasn't afr

ot like a prize, not like

-

se. Rain pounded the sidewalks, her laptop screen burned her ey

les. Reached for he

someone els

look

i

y eyes. Calm as the sky

say thank you, do you?" he s

ne f

breath and laug

vanis

like at

trying to tr

t really hate not ge

r head. "What

dne

ney

gain. "Does

her eyes. "It

thing I'm not tryi

rms crossed. "You're awfully smug

r someone who came to a

uc

-

a moment, the rain tappi

You looked lone

inched. "

bored, drunk, powerful. But I

, unblinking. "Yo

ed. "But I know th

y anything fo

at kind o

kind that doesn't go awa

-

lid her espresso

I'd finally say hi without som

tood too

tur

d. Then offe

said. "In ca

His touch

didn't want to say it befor

h that,

lingering

? And why did she alrea