Page 16 of Trick or Tease

Lucy sat on the couch with a bounce, testing the cushions. “This is fancier than anything I’ve ever seen. How much does a place like this cost?”

“A lot,” I said, dodging the answer she was looking for.

The truth was, the rent was ridiculous, but it was part of the image. You couldn’t make partner living in some studio apartment in Queens. Appearances mattered in this business, even if it meant I was basically camping in someone else’s idea of luxury.

“Guest rooms are down the hall,” I said, pointing toward the back of the apartment. “Sabrina, you can take the one on the right. Billy, Lucy, you get the one on the left.”

Billy grinned and slung his arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “We’re gonna freshen up a bit.”

I knew that look. They were going to do more than freshen up.

“Don’t fuck in my shower,” I called after them as they headed down the hall, already giggling and whispering to each other.

Their laughter echoed back to me as they disappeared into the guest room. I shook my head. I was only a little jealous. Good for them, honestly. After all these years together, they still acted like teenagers who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It was kind of amazing, even if it was occasionally nauseating to witness.

I loosened my tie and walked to the kitchen, which was all stainless steel and granite that I never used for anything more than reheating takeout.

I opened a bottle of wine from my overpriced collection and poured Sabrina a glass of something red. For myself, I grabbed the good scotch. I was intent on celebrating tonight even if I was the only one that was interested in joining me.

“Come on,” I said, nodding toward the sliding glass doors. “Best view in the building.”

The balcony wasn’t huge, but it was enough space for two chairs and a small table. The city stretched out below us. Even thirty-four floors up, you could still hear the hum of traffic, the occasional horn, and the ever-present siren.

Sabrina leaned against the railing, wine glass cradled in both hands, and stared out at the view. The wind caught her blonde hair, pushing it back from her face. She looked so out of place up here in her flannel and jeans, but somehow more real than anything else in my carefully curated life.

“It’s incredible,” she said softly. “I can’t believe people actually live like this.”

I took a sip of scotch, feeling the familiar burn. “You get used to it.”

“Do you?” She turned to look at me. “Get used to it, I mean. Does it ever feel normal?”

I considered the question, swirling the amber liquid in my glass. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think I’m used to it and then…” I gestured vaguely at the space between us. “Then people from home show up and remind me where I came from.”

She smiled at that. “Is that a bad thing?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

The scotch was doing its job, loosening the knots in my shoulders and allowing me to breathe a little easier.

“So,” I said, settling into one of the chairs. “Catch me up. What’s been happening in our little corner of paradise while I’ve been conquering the legal world?”

Sabrina laughed and took the chair next to mine. “Oh, you know. The usual small-town drama. Nothing as exciting as billion-dollar deals.”

“Try me.”

She took a sip of wine, considering where to start. “Well, Jack McNeely got himself into quite the situation last month. Lucy and I were driving past the Jenkins farm around six in the morning headed out to pick up some supplies and we saw Sheriff Martinez’s cruiser parked by the hog pen.”

“Please tell me Jack didn’t try to steal a pig.”

“Worse.” Sabrina’s eyes lit up with mischief. “They found him buck naked, passed out in the pen.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “He was cold and wanted to sleep under the heat lamps.”

“He’s lucky they didn’t eat him.”

“I think they thought he smelled worse than them.”