Page 3 of The Suit

“Are you done, Ms. Holmes?” I didn’t wait for her response as I stood up, fastening the button of my suit jacket before picking up my briefcase that I’d never bothered to open. “When you’re ready to come to me with a proper offer, I’ll listen. But until then, don’t waste my time. If your client can’t agree to the bargain price of seven hundred and fifty million dollars by the end of the week, then we’ll be contesting for half of everything. I’m sure he won’t want to part with eight billion, especially as he can’t seem to afford decent representation as it is.”

I looked around at the room full of silent associates, some doing a better job than others at hiding their shock – and most probably awe – before I turned back to Beulah Holmes; only the flare of her nostrils was giving away her fury.

“Bite me, Latham,” she snarled through a clenched jaw.

“No, thank you, I don’t have time nor the inclination for a tetanus shot today.” I pressed down on the door handle, then turned back to the wide-eyed faces. “Good day. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

I didn’t close the door behind me.

Win one for me.

* * *

“Morning, Joanie. Brought you a present.”

I slipped the cupcake box on the desk in front of her, and in exchange received a suspicious narrowing of the eyes over the top of her computer screen. It was always hit or miss what mood I’d find Murray’s executive assistant in, but I knew she couldn’t ever be too mad at me when I brought her favorite cupcakes in. I didn’t wait around for her to respond. Instead, I pushed open the door to his office and flopped down on his very comfy couch.

It was as my head hit the cushion that I realized I was alone. With a groan, I pulled my phone from my pants pocket and checked Find My Friends. It said he was here, just like it said Penn was somewhere between here and his office on Lexington, and before I could muster the energy to get back up and ask Joanie where he was, the bathroom door opened and out he sauntered.

“Wondered when you’d turn up.” He grinned wide.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I sat back up, removed my suit jacket and loosened my tie, then resumed my prostrate position on the couch waiting for my blood to cool down from the simmer it was currently sitting at.

He raised both eyebrows at me but stayed silent as he sat down in the chair opposite. It was pointless arguing there was nothing wrong, because between him and Penn they knew me better than I knew myself.

I sighed. “Pennington is on his way, let’s just wait. I can’t be fucked repeating everything.”

He stretched his legs out in front of him, his arms lengthening before his fingers linked behind his head, his smug smile never faltering. “Okaaay.”

I stared at the ceiling for approximately thirty seconds before turning my head on the cushion. Murray’s eyes were closed, and I didn’t need three guesses to find out what he was thinking about. Not that I wanted to talk about his sex life, but I did want to distract myself from the fist clenching annoyance still flushing my nervous system. The adrenaline high I’d been riding on when I walked out of her offices was swiftly crashing.

“How was D.C.? You and Kit officially back together yet?”

Murray’s smile stayed firm, but the smugness was replaced by a new emotion which had only been present in him the last few months. I’d call it unadulterated happiness; something I’d ascertained was a combination of becoming a father and being in a new relationship. There’d been a brief wobble a month ago when his girlfriend had moved out, or hadn’t moved in – I was largely unclear on the details – but he’d pulled his head out of his ass and fixed whatever needed fixing, and had just returned from a night away in D.C.

“Yep, we sure are.”

I turned back to stare at the ceiling. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. Kit’s a good girl, and you both deserve to be happy.”

I meant it too. He’d had a lot to deal with the last few months, after a newborn baby was left on his doorstep, but between Penn and me, plus Murray’s family, we’d been able to help him through it. His saving grace though, had been Kit, his nanny turned one true love, or whatever. But itwasnice seeing him happy; Penn and I had got the old Murray back which we were grateful for because it had been bleak for a second, and he’d been a miserable fuck.

“So, she’s moving in with you?”

He shook his head but didn’t look sad about it. “No, no, she was right, it was a bit fast. But she’s my forever, so I can wait a little bit longer. It’ll happen soon.”

“And how’s my goddaughter?”

I’d never really been into babies, but the three of us found her at the same time - on Murray’s doorstep one Tuesday in February. We’d all been in shock that night, but once it wore off, Bell firmly grabbed ahold of our hearts with her chubby little baby hands, and I officially couldn’t get enough. I’d become smitten in the baby fever thing or whatever girls call it. While Tuesdays were - and would always be - a day reserved for the boys, we’d made Saturdays our day with Bell. It had become so commonplace that something had felt off this past weekend when we hadn’t had our usual time together. And it wasn’t just me; Penn felt it too, although he tended to use Bell more as a chick magnet than I did, but only as long as Murray didn’t notice.

“She’s good, she’s going to crawl soon.” He pulled up a video on his phone and passed it over to me; it was Bell pushing up on her tummy, then falling back down with her little legs kicking out behind her.

I opened my eyes wide. “Murray, you’d better record it when she does. I don’t want to miss it if we’re not present, or I’m gonna be pissed.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t miss it. Kit’s already got it covered.”

I bolted upright seconds before the door opened, and Joan walked in with a coffee. She glared at me like she knew my feet had been on Murray’s ridiculously expensive couch moments before. She’d never prove it though, because unlike Penn who couldn’t give a shit if she saw him laying back with his feet up, I always sensed when she was about to walk in.

“Thanks, Joan.”

---