"Yeah— he said that I just did a great job expecting what was gonna happen, but to make sure not to show too much next time. Corporate law isn't the same as criminal law, and it's all about what you know and what you don't let your opponents know until the most advantageous time. That being said, he added two hours to my requirement for the time of the actual meeting." Excitement colored Laurie's tone.
I glanced at the clock on the screen to lick the roof of my mouth. I still had a good twenty minutes before we were set to open, and even then, my first appointment wasn't until 11 a.m. I could listen to Laurie until I had to hang up.
It was honestly better than contemplating my salacious relationship with Mel.Chapter 14MelissaEyeballing the absolutely pungent margarita that Terry had bought for me, I struggled to breathe from the alcohol wafting over the rim of the glass. My best friend stared daggers into my face, and I pursed my lips before reaching to swing the straw my way.
"I don't think this was necessarily the 'one drink' you should've got me, Terry."
His huge, shit-eating grin was contagious, and I reached to plug my nose before sucking on the end of the straw. This glass was bigger than my whole head, but I managed to take a few enormous gulps of the strawberry flavored beverage before I had to stop. The cold gave me brain freeze, and the alcohol burned my throat and made it hard to breathe.
Shaking my head viciously, I scrunched up my face and sucked in a sharp breath as Terry clapped overly excited.
"You're such a trooper, Mel! I knew you could do it, you teetotaler."
I didn't even know what 'teetotaler' meant, but I couldn't question it when I inhaled a deep, hot breath. The bar we were in wasn't all that busy considering it was Tuesday night, and I sniffled a little as I reached to rub my watering eyes. There's so much tequila in there.
"So, tell me about your hot doctor friend and what happened on Thursday. I'm so mad I missed it. Sometimes, having to travel for work sucks."
"I mean..." Rasping slightly, I grabbed my napkin off the table to wipe my eyes and nose, and Terry leaned in with a ravenous glint in his eye. I was most definitely not going to tell him that I was glad he was gone over the weekend. I needed that time to really process what had happened and figure out what I wanted to do. "He said he'd refer me out so we could go on a date. That's all. Every time I see him, I want to see him again more, and obviously he wants to, too. He shouldn't have to risk his whole life for a date, though."
Guilt stained my tongue, and Terry reached over to squeeze my forearm. "Some women are worth it, and you are someone worth breaking the rules for, Mel. I mean, look at you! You're so beautiful, and you have a wonderful, carefree personality, and you're super adventurous."
Flames licked up my neck, as much from Terry's compliments as the alcohol swimming to my brain. I didn't think I was any of those things, but I still basked in Terry's praises. If my lungs weren't so bad, I would hike, maybe. If my dad weren't looming over me all the time, I wouldn't be so stressed out, and Terry didn't really know how much work went into looking the way I did.
Thank God for the internet. Otherwise, my hair would still be coarse and curly instead of smooth and glossy. Reaching to twirl a stray lock around my finger, I stared into the deep, orange color that swirled in the giant glass.
We were celebrating Terry closing his deal and my getting a date with Carl, but was what really worth cheering about? He could seriously impact his career negatively if our behavior ever got out.
Guiding the straw to my lips, I took a few more gulps before the cold shocked my brain again, but that's what I wanted. I didn't want to think about the consequences, worry about what might happen, and Terry flashed me a quizzical look. Leaning back with a hot sigh, I ran my hand through my hair and shivered as the alcohol spread across my chest.
"What about you, huh! You finally closed that deal after five months over the deadline! Congratulations!" I wasn't exactly sure what Terry did for a living, but I knew he sold computers to huge corporations. He was really smart, and I nudged his arm over the table as he took his turn to blush furiously. "Yay! You're the greatest, you know that?"
"I've been told, yeah." Giggling at his bashful reply, I watched through heated eyes as Terry took a huge gulp of his own margarita and rolled his eyes. "It was such a hassle. If they weren't such an important client, none of their shit would've flied with me. How can you want to do something so intensive and procedural when you haven't worked through basic problems?"