Page 104 of Bad Influence
He gets up and walks out of the office, leaving me no choice other than to follow him.
“How are you liking New York so far?” Aiden asks, when we’re out on the sidewalk.
“I love it,” I reply honestly.
“You live in Brooklyn, right?”
“Yeah, in the same building as Lilith. A few floors above.” I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying anything more. Like how the apartment was gifted to me by my ex’s grandmother and I’m now living with his brother who I’m pretty sure I’m falling for and who thinks I’m the ideal for grace and beauty.
“You didn’t consider moving to the city?” Aiden asks.
“No, the apartment is mine,” I say. Half of it, anyway, and I don’t mind sharing it.
We walk three blocks to a restaurant where the host knows Aiden and the manager greets him like they’re long lost friends. This part I’m all too familiar with. It’s the same with my father, brother, and Beckett. They have places where they have lunch and dinner everyday and the whole staff knows their preferences.
I try to picture Killian here, among all the men and women in expensive suits and gold watches, and I can’t. He doesn’t belong in this world. While Aiden talks to the manager, I pull out my phone and glance at it surreptitiously. There’s no message from Killian, not that I’m expecting him to message.
Aiden and I discuss the cases at lunch and he lets me pick his brain. He’s incredibly patient with my questions, and I really appreciate that.
“Do you think you’re ready to attend your first client meeting?” Aiden asks, on our way back to the office.
I know he’s offering me an out as a way of gauging if I can handle the work.
“It’s already on my calendar,” I reply with confidence.
Sitting in client meetings and contract negotiations is nothing new for me. Usually, my father or brother did the talking while I sat there. I know it’s going to be the same with Aiden, as he’s the lead counsel, but I also think he’ll give me the opportunity to handle cases on my own when he thinks I’m ready.
After lunch, it’s more of the same, but I do get the opportunity to stop by the kitchenette and get myself a coffee. A group ofinterns is complaining about one of the partners and I can’t help listening in while I doctor my coffee how I like it. It’s only been two months, but I didn’t realize how much I missed the happenings of a law firm.
Some days can be boring, but there are days when the whole office is in chaos and everyone is moving around.
They quiet suddenly and I think a senior lawyer has walked in, but when I turn around, it’s the girl I saw in the elevator this morning. Her hair is pulled up into a loose bun now and the sleeves of her top are pushed up to reveal the tattoo of a harp on her arm.
“Hi!” I say.
The interns look at me like I’ve sprouted a second head.
“You’re awfully chipper for hour five in this hell hole,” she says.
I laugh because I think she’s joking. Except the way she’s looking at me, with a completely blank expression, makes me think maybe she’s not joking. Is she a lawyer here as well?
The interns are looking between us with their mouths open.
“This ‘hell hole’ is better than the one I left, and it’s only my first day here,” I say.
“That explains it,” she says. “You’ve still got that glow of innocence about you. Your soul is clearly still intact.”
She makes her espresso and leaves with a nod to me, ignoring the interns.
“Were you just talking to Ilona?” One of the interns asks.
“Is that her name?” I ask.
“Nobody talks to Ilona,” another whispers.
“Is she a senior lawyer?”
“She works in the mail room, but this is literally the nicest she’s been to anyone since she started two months ago.”
