“Okay!” Matt said as he turned his back to us and picked up his phone. “Thanks, guys!”
We were dismissed, and we walked down the hallway together. What the hell had just happened? My job felt like a conversation in a familiar but somehow unintelligible tongue, like Scottish.
“You did good,” Jordan said, and I looked at him, wondering where to begin.
“Skippy?” I asked.
“We think you look preppy. Like a skipper.” I looked down and smoothed my white collared shirt into my lavender skirt. “It’s a good thing. He doesn’t think anything at all about most first-years.”
I nodded. “Why does he think my whole family went to Harvard?”
“Carmen said something that we must have misunderstood. No big deal. I have to jump on a call.” He ducked into his office without another word.
Hours later, I was struggling to keep my eyes open as I scanned the minutes of a board meeting for the company Stag River was acquiring, barely knowing what I was looking for but hoping I would recognize a red flag if I saw one, when my ringing phone jolted me from my trance.
“Hi Matt!” I said, forcing cheer into my voice.
“Go home, Skip. I’m going home. I told Jordan to do the same.”
I looked at the lower right-hand corner of my monitor. It was only seven o’clock.
“Thanks, Matt. I’m just going to finish—”
“I’m not asking you.” His words were sharp, but his tone was kind. “This deal is going to blow up in a few weeks. I’ll expect you here at all hours then. For now, go home.”
He hung up before I could thank him, and I grabbed my phone and texted Sam.
On my way home! Yayayayay.
The ellipses appeared immediately. I smiled as I thought of him typing.
Yaaaaaas. Hurry!!!
I was just about to shut down my computer when something from before popped into my mind. I picked up my office phone and dialed Carmen’s extension.
“Hey!” she said quickly. “What’s up? I’m swamped.”
“I have a random question.”
“Shoot.”
“So, um, I know this is weird, but did you tell Jordan and Matt that my family donated a library to Harvard?” I cursed the apprehension in my voice.
“Yeah,” she said without a pause. There was no surprise or apology in her tone, and I could hear her still typing in the background.
“Um . . . why? It makes me sound like I couldn’t get in there on my own.”
“Oh, I just know their type, and they totally have a hard-on for that New England Ivy old-money thing. I thought I was doing you a solid.”
Her response sounded benevolent enough. It left me no option other than to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Thanks. I cleared it up with them.”
“Okay, cool. Listen, I gotta run. Are we still on for coffee tomorrow?”
“Yup!”
“Great. See you then.” She hung up.
I shook my head to shake out the bizarre conversation playing on a loop in my brain, and packed my things to go.
When I opened the door, the faint hint of humidity in the apartment indicated that Sam had just emerged from one of his marathon showers. I inhaled deeply as I made my way to the bedroom, letting the sweet floral scent of Dove soap wash over me. He poked his head out of our bathroom, towel around his waist.
“Babe! I can’t believe it. You’re rocking M&A and still making it home early!” He came over to me, leaving wet footprints as he went, and gave me a kiss as he lightly tapped my backside. Ducking back into the bathroom, he called out, “How was work? I jogged ten miles today, so I’m starving. Do you want to go out for dinner or order in?”
“It was good. Really good. I think the key to this job is taking advantage of the slower nights and coming home to you whenever I can.”
I put my bag down on the bed, feeling the rush of control over my life as I came home from a long day of work to my boyfriend, happy to see me, in the beautiful apartment my job allowed us to rent. Sam reemerged and picked out a T-shirt from a drawer, and watching him, I felt completely at peace. I knew Sam—really knew him. I could always tell what he thought of someone new by gauging his posture when he spoke to them. I knew that his favorite meal was grilled cheese and tomato soup. I knew the face he made in the mirror when he shaved. I suddenly appreciated that with him things were almost always what they seemed, and I knew how much he adored me. At Klasko, I didn’t really know my friends at all. It didn’t matter at all to me that he couldn’t yet pay rent or take me to nice dinners. I’d turned down a job at Sanctuary so I could do those things for myself, and for him. I knew one day soon Sam’s company would be successful, that it would all even out in the end.
“What?” he asked, looking at me. I narrowed my gaze slightly. His arms were in the sleeves of his T-shirt, and he was just about to pull it over his head.
“I’m not hungry just yet,” I said softly.
His eyes widened. “No?” he asked.
I shook my head once and let the right corner of my lip curl upward. His arms still in the sleeves, his strong, smooth chest still bare, he made his way over to me. He raised his arms and pushed them over my head, pulling me close with his T-shirt as a lasso. I craned my neck up to him, and he kissed me slowly. When Sam kissed me, I could feel his goodness wash over me.
“I’ve missed you,” I whispered. He kissed me again. I placed my hands on his chest and let my fingers creep down to where his towel folded in on itself. With a little pressure to the half-knot, his towel dropped to the floor. He pulled my hips in toward him and rested his hand on my backside. I felt his shirt drop away from his hands as he undid the zipper of my skirt. It slipped down to my heels. I locked eyes with his and raised my arms above my head. He obliged my request with a boyish grin and pulled my button-down up over my head.
I shifted my weight only slightly and lifted a leg.
“Leave the heels on,” he whispered. I smiled as I dropped my raised foot back to the floor. “The only thing I can stand about you working so much is how good you look in work clothes. Also, fair warning, I can’t really bend at the knee—I’m so sore.”
I threw my head back and laughed, feeling my hair on my back. I expected him to pull me onto the bed, but instead he pushed me up against the wall, where my heels made me the perfect height.
I can absolutely handle this job, I thought before I allowed myself to get lost in him.
Part II
The Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA)
A written legal agreement between two or more parties entered into in order to protect the sensitive information each party will become privy to as negotiations are entered.
Q.Would you say your professional relationships extend beyond the confines of the office?
A.I’m not sure I understand the question.
Q.Did or do you socialize with colleagues? Did you socialize with clients?
A.Yes. Yes.
Q.Can you please elaborate?
A.Klasko not only encourages socializing but often funds it in the form of happy hours and retreats. I didn’t go to undergraduate or graduate school in New York, so many of my friendships were formed at Klasko.
Q.I see. And what about with clients?