1
Genevieve
Genevieve Mitchell trudged out of the office. She made an effort to smile at her employees and congratulate them on their good work. This wasn’t their fault. They had all performed excellently, as usual. No, this was Genevieve’s blunder. She had really hoped that they would be able to work out a deal with this potential new client, but in the end, it hadn’t worked out.
He would have been a huge asset to Wisdom Investments, and thus was entitled to some concessions in order to draw him in. However, he was simply asking for too much. If Genevieve had agreed to his terms, it would have taken five years for them to start making real profit from his portfolio, and who’s to say he wouldn’t have moved to another company by then?
As much as she regretted not being able to land the deal, Genevieve hadn’t worked her way up to CEO of her father’s company by taking stupid risks. Calculated risks, yes, but this one would have been foolish.
Her phone started ringing. Genevieve grimaced, knowing who it would be. Her father knew about the meeting and would be eager to hear how it went. Genevieve let the call go to voice mail. She would deal with her father’s disappointment later.
He would encourage her, to be sure, but that wouldn’t take away from the invisible but real pressure he put on Genevieve to excel in her field.
That pressure had made her into a better CEO, and she didn’t resent him for it, but it did make dealing with her family difficult at times.
Genevieve was halfway home when she decided that she didn’t want to go home to her sad, empty apartment and wallow in her own failure.
She hadn’t gotten laid in a while, as busy as she had been trying to work this deal. It was a perfect night to resolve that.
She headed to a local bar, Lix Club- an exclusive women’s only club which was one of her favorites for picking up women. There was a lot more to Lix Club, there were private rooms and a pool and a dungeon where you could play, but none of that was Genevieve’s style. She preferred to pick up women there and take them elsewhere. Genevieve got a drink the moment she sat down and drained it before ordering another that she sipped at a more sedate pace.
She let her eyes rove over the semi-darkened room. There were several possibilities. Her gaze snagged on a tall, pale woman with dark hair that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly, hanging just to her shoulders.
Genevieve felt her mouth popping open. She was probably the most attractive woman Genevieve had ever seen. She knew she was staring like an idiot and forced her eyes back to her drink in case the woman looked over. She looked much younger than Genevieve herself, but then that was Genevieve’s thing- hot younger women.
As she sipped on her drink, Genevieve surveyed the woman from beneath her lashes, trying to determine from her behavior if she was even gay. If she wasn’t, that would put a stop to the fantasies racing through Genevieve’s head rather quickly. But, they usually were in Lix Club. The curious ones weren’t Genevieve’s cup of tea. She liked women who knew what they wanted and weren’t afraid to ask for it.
After ten minutes—the time it took her to finish her drink—Genevieve had determined that the woman was indeed gay, at least by her judgment, and her judgment was usually good. The looks she was giving the other women in the bar were decidedly lesbianny.
She was slim with bright green eyes that seemed to shine when she smiled at the bartender, thanking her for her drink.
Genevieve made her move as the woman finished her next drink, sidling over and signaling the bartender. “I’ll buy this one.”
The woman blushed as she turned to face Genevieve. “Thank you.” She ran her eyes quickly down Genevieve’s body before looking back up into her eyes. “I’m Mia.”
“Genevieve.” Genevieve made to shake hands, but Mia kissed her on the cheek instead.
Forward. I like it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Genevieve,” she purred.
Despite her easy manner, Genevieve got the strong impression that Mia was holding something back. A shiver of doubt went through her. Though she looked completely different, Mia had a similar air to her as Kate. Genevieve was sure there was some rocky past she was hiding.
She did her best not to think of Kate. That would certainly kill her libido very quickly.
“So, what is a beauty like you doing in a place like this?”
Mia chuckled, though a shadow passed behind her eyes so quickly that Genevieve barely picked it up. “Well, I wanted a drink, and drinking alone is just sad, so I came here. I like being around like-minded women.”
“Well, you may be in a bar, but you’re still technically alone here. I could keep you company, if you’d like. In the name of not looking sad.”
Mia’s smile widened. “Well, I’d hate to ruin someone else’s good time here by making them witness my sad solo drinking. I suppose you’ll have to stay.”
Genevieve signaled the bartender for another drink and took a dainty sip.
“I might ask you the same question. You seem to know your way around this place pretty well.”
“I’m something of a regular. At least, I usually am. Work has been crazy recently. I figured this is a good night to unwind.”