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It was only a matter of time before they realized I was not the kind of person they would be willing to deal with. It was only a matter of time before I screwed up and the merger was canceled.
I needed to get out of this lodge.
As Peter gestured and we walked into the room, I scanned the overfilled space, packed with expressive faces, loud conversations, and laughter. An unseen weight settled on my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. Each breath became a monumental task, every blink a conscious effort, as I fought the urge to turn and flee. My mouth went sandpaper-dry and my mind blurred as I wondered what horrible conversations would be thrust upon me.
There were only two open seats, unfortunately placed between the two loudest men in the room—Laurence Davis and Bill Clark.
Layana leaned in close, too close. She touched my wrist, alerting me to the fact that I was crushing the menu in my fist. I forced my grip to loosen.
She tilted her chin so her jaw brushed my shoulder. She whispered in my ear, “Wanna play a game?”
I worked my throat, frozen in fear.
“Every time someone saysfamily, we drink,” she said, gently leading me through the suffocating mass.
Her warm breath tickled against my jaw. It was a pleasant sensation that tethered me, pulled me back from the brink of complete panic.
She led me to my seat, and I dutifully sat.
“Drinking during a business lunch dulls the sharpness I require to appropriately respond to questioning,” I said softly without looking at her.
“It also dulls the nerves. You’ve tortured yourself by doing your other interactions with these dudes sober. You didn’t love how it went. Why not try a different tactic?”
Mr. Davis leaned over and clapped me on the back. “That’s quite the lady you got there, my boy. Bet you’ll be getting frisky later, eh?” He punctuated his invasive comment with an obnoxious wink. “If you aren’t interested, tell her she can call me. Just joshing you. Mostly.”
I ground my teeth together and imagined giving him a sharp jab to his throat, just enough to keep more words from spewing out of his mouth while we were forced to endure this event.
Layana’s knee brushed my thigh. She’d trusted me with her safety to teach her to ski. I could trust her now, in her area of social expertise. Couldn’t I?
Given any other day, with any other person by my side, I wouldn’t even consider it. But Layana had a way of pressing all my buttons and pushing me out of my usual way of looking at things. It was dangerous. She was dangerous, and ridiculously alluring.
I set the menu down and twisted fully toward her. When I looked into her eyes, I no longer bristled at her every reckless whim. Instead, it sparked something else inside me entirely. I couldn’t say exactly what that was, but I felt drawn to chase it.
She tempted me to throw away my self-control. She tempted me to take risks.
“Circle backandsynergy, too,” she whispered.
I could feel my resolve wavering. I wanted to play this game with her, wanted to let her guide me into the dangerous unknown.
“Just a sip,” I said.
“Of course.”
“Don't mind Laurence, son,” chuckled Mr. Clark, seated beside Layana.
I was neither man’s son nor boy, and I didn’t care for either’s choice of words.
“We're all just one big happy family here at Biotabloom,” Mr. Clark said.
I cringed at the wordfamilyand took a big gulp of my drink.
“That's right,” agreed Mr. Davis. “We like to think of ourselves as having a real family vibe around the office. Lots of synergy between teams, people circling back to collaborate. Keeps that family bond nice and tight!”
He elbowed me while Mr. Clark nodded. “Couldn't have said it better myself. We're all about family and synergy here at Biotabloom. Always open to circling back for more collaboration across teams. Keeps us tight as a family!”
I shuddered. This wasn’t happening. How could the two men actively choose to repeat these same words so many times in such a short period?
I shared a glance of private amusement with Layana, and took a large gulp from my glass.
