The NYCE Girls!

by Raquel Belle

“Should I be worried?”

  Walter Davis, the man that practically hunted me down and never quit until I agreed to join their firm, says “not at all, Nick. We’ve got great news.”

  Relaxing, I sit back. “Oh?”

  “Tell him. Conrad,” Walker says with so much glee, I lift a brow.

  Clearing his throat, Conrad Michael says, “You know we’ve had our eyes on Oliver Campbell for a while.”

  “Everyone here knows that.” Oliver Campbell is a very wealthy business magnate with a presence in a lot of countries. Having his business would put DMP on another level entirely.

  Conrad laughs heartily and the others join in. “Well, he’s just left his old law firm and word is he’s looking for a new one. He’s a busy man and he won’t speak with us over the phone. He doesn’t do video conferences either. He’s a real old-fashioned man like myself. Campbell is going to be in Paris next week. That’s where you come in, Parker. We want you to go to Paris and meet with him. Make us look good. We know you can do that. You’ve got a mouth on you,” he says with a grin.

  Go to Paris and convince Oliver Campbell to take on DMP as his official law firm? No big deal. Conrad is right. I can be very persuasive. “Done.” All three partners are grinning at me like Cheshire cats, so I ask, “Is that all?”

  Mike Porter steps forward. “You know that I’m retiring soon, right Parker?”

  “I’d heard.”

  He nods. “We’re looking for my replacement. Well, I’d say we’ve already found him. Get Oliver Campbell to sign on with DMP and your name goes on the wall.”

  Not much shocks me nowadays, but my mouth falls open for a second. I knew I’d work my way to name partner eventually, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. I remember what I’d told Grace years ago. My name on the building within five years. It’s about to happen in four. I don’t get overly excited about much either, but I feel a rush coursing through my veins and I can’t wait to tell Grace. Getting up, I grin, “In that case, gentlemen, consider Oliver Campbell in our pockets.”

  There’s a round of laughter, handshakes and shoulder clapping before the men vacate my office. I hear murmurs outside, the closing of a door and then Grace comes barreling in. “Are you alright? What was that about? They gave me no warning before they came, I swear…” She sees my huge grin and stops. “I guess everything is fine...”

  Rounding the desk, the news bursts out. “I think I just made partner.”

  Her eyes pop. “Partner? You think?”

  “We’re going to Paris, and if we can get Oliver Campbell to sign on with DMP, we make partner.”

  “Paris? We? Nick, you mean you’ll make partner.”

  “Whatever. You know what I mean.”

  “Davis Michael Parker,” Grace says. “I love the sound of that.”

  “I do too.”

  With a squeal, she launches herself at me. “I’m so happy for you! You did it in less than five years.”

  Holding her tightly, glad that I can share the moment with her, I murmur, “You remembered.”

  “Of course, I remember,” she whispers. “I remember everything you say.”

  It feels like there’s something to that declaration, but I can hardly think straight with her body pressed against mine.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grace

  Cara is the first to arrive at my place. She waltzes into my apartment with urgency and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “First, get me a drink because I had one hell of a day. Then you can tell me about Paris.”

  Smiling, I take in her appearance. She’s immaculately dressed from head to toe, not a hair is out of place and her makeup is perfectly done. The only sign of exhaustion is in her eyes. They look just a little dim and tired. “How long has it been since you’ve had a good night’s sleep?”

  “Five days and counting. My workload is insane,” she sighs.

  “Yeah, but you love it.”

  “I do,” she smiles and kicks off her stilettos to eye them with disdain. “Why do we wear those things? They are not our friends.”

  “Speak for yourself, shoes and I have a great friendship,” I say, laughing as I head to the kitchen.

  Cara rolls her eyes and tosses her handbag onto a sofa before following me. She plops down onto a chair around the granite-top island. “Are Jazz and Beth on their way?”

  “Yup. They stopped to pick up sushi. Beth insisted and she dubbed tonight ‘sushi night’ so I didn’t cook anything.”

  Brows raised, Cara shrugs, “Oh. In that case, break out the chardonnay.”

  I spin around holding two bottles and wearing a broad smile. “Already on it. They should be here soon. I’m sure they won’t mind if we toss back a drink or two without them.”

  Cara and I only get through one drink each before Beth and Jazz arrive in a flurry of excitement. When I let them in, Jazz is already grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t believe you’re going to Paris. How excited are you?”

  Jazz is as passionate about Paris as I am. I discovered that a while back when we had a random discussion about the places we always wanted to visit. We both had Paris at the top of our lists. “I can hardly believe it myself. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight and Nick and I have such an early morning flight.

  Beth leads the way back to the kitchen. “I wish my job gave me an assignment in Europe and paid for it. You’re so lucky.”

  “Nick is the one being sent on an assignment, but yes, I’m lucky to get the chance to go along.”

  She pulls several plastic containers out of the bags. “Jazz and I bought just about everything.”

  “We figured we’d all be here a while,” Jazz interjects. “We have to get as much chatting done as we can before you leave tomorrow.”

  We’re all seated around the island with the bottles of wine in the middle, ready to eat and talk. I love when we get together like this. Growing up with just my father and two older brothers, girl talk was never a thing. I revel in my friends’ company. If we could get together like this every day, I wouldn’t mind. “I’ll only be gone for two days.”

  Cara laughs and nods to Beth and Jazz. “These two are acting like you’ll be gone a year.”

  Reaching for a salmon roll, I send Cara a grin. “Don’t act all tough like you won’t miss the hell out of me for the two days.”

  There’s a round of laughter before we all focus on the array of food. “This impromptu sushi night is brilliant, Beth,” I beam. “We should do this more often, but with different themes. Like next time we can have lasagna night or something.”

  “Definitely,” Beth murmurs with a full mouth.

  Jazz gulps down her entire glass of chardonnay and reaches for a bottle. “Don’t judge, I had a long day.”

  “Nobody is judging, honey,” Cara says, reaching for a bottle as well. She lets out a long sigh. “We should all be going to Paris tomorrow to blow off some steam. I don’t know about you guys but I’d do well with a break. My sister’s wedding that’s coming up in Boston—I told you guys about that—”

  I nod along with Jazz and Beth.

  “That’s probably the closest thing to a vacation I’m going to have in God knows how long,” Cara continues, “But we should plan a girl’s trip. I know Jazz is already in.”

  Jazz’s eyes widen. “A girl’s trip to Paris?” she gasps. “Hell yeah I’m already in. Please tell me you’re serious about this because I can start rearranging my schedule right now.”

  “I am serious,” Cara laughs. “But, it wouldn’t be for a while. We’d all have to move our schedules around. You know how hard it is for all four of us to get the same time off.”

  “Yeah,” Jazz sighs. “I know. At least we can live vicariously through Grace until we make it there ourselves.” She turns to me. “Grace, I want you to have the time of your life. Visit all the popular attractions, shop till you drop, eat and drink everything so you can describe it all in detail when you get back.”

  Cara and Beth lau
gh at Jazz’s dreamy expression and I smile. “There’s only so much I can do in a couple of days, but I’ll try my best.”

  As we fall into easy chatter while we eat and drink, my mind strays—as it usually does—to Nick. He occupies my thoughts way too much, and I’ve tried to change that over the years, but to no avail. Concern settles in the pit of my stomach and my appetite eventually vanishes. I can’t help worrying about possibly losing myself with him like I did the night of the dinner party. That kiss between us was bound to happen…and other things are bound to happen too...if I lose myself in the moment again. Gulping down the contents of my glass, I pull in a deep breath. I’ll be in one of the most romantic cities in the world with a man I’m harboring serious feelings for.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  That’s my self-conscious being a sarcastic bitch. So many things can go wrong...or right…if one takes into consideration how amazing the sex between Nick and I was. Yeah, sex with him certainly didn’t feel wrong. But the consequences of the great sex—that’s the problem.

  “Grace, are you okay?” Cara, sitting beside me rests a hand lightly on my arm.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You zoned out. You usually zone out when you’re mentally ‘freaking out’ as you like to put it.” She’s wearing a tiny smile but I can see the worry in her eyes.

  Forcing out a laugh, I lie my ass off. “I’m fine, really. Just wondering if I packed everything. It’s no big deal, I’ll go through my suitcase again later.”

  She doesn’t seem convinced but she nods and reaches for her glass.

  It’s time to throw myself back into the conversation before Cara zeroes in on me again. “Thanks for the send off, ladies. This is so much fun.”

  ***

  My anxiety is raging as I sit beside Nick on the plane, but I’m proud of myself for hiding it so well. I was so thrilled about Paris until I allowed myself to think my way into a panic. Why do I always do this to myself? All I had to do was keep my mind away from Nick and I in compromising situations and focus on getting that client, but I just had to let my thoughts stray. Staring out the tiny window, caught up in my spiraling mood, I don’t even realize Nick is talking to me.

  “I can’t see what’s so interesting out there.”

  The hummed words filter into my ear, making me jump. When I whip my head around, he’s still leaning close, peering out the window like I’ve been doing for I don’t even know how long, so our noses are practically touching. Nick’s gaze shifts to mine and his eyes gleam with laughter. “Didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  He doesn’t pull away, so I quickly turn to face forwards because—in all honesty—his mouth so close to mine is highly dangerous. “It’s fine.” I can feel those maddening eyes of his boring holes into the side of my face and I shift uneasily.

  “You sure? You’ve been staring out that window for quite a while. And you’ve been quiet all morning.”

  “I’m often quiet,” I shrug.

  His low rumble of laughter makes my stomach clench and I want to curse myself for my body’s reaction to everything he does. It’s like my body is hyper-aware of him because of my concern about us crossing the line again. “No you’re not. You should be excitedly chatting my ear off about finally going to Paris.” He pauses. “Why aren’t you?”

  “This is a business trip.” I give him a fleeting glance. If I keep eye contact he’ll know that I’m lying. “I’m completely focused on Oliver Campbell and you making partner.”

  “Focusing on work has never stopped you from talking me to near death before.” His tone rings with laughter and out of the corner of my eye I see him smiling. I want to smile back at him so badly, but I don’t. Maybe if I stay serious and ensure we both act like employee and employer instead of like best buddies, we’ll avoid any mishaps—of the kissing or sleeping together sort.

  “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was too anxious about our trip.”

  “And you’ve been sulking since we got in the car this morning.”

  “I don’t sulk.” Was I sulking?

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I…” I can’t tell him that my problem is him...being so damn irresistible I’m worried about falling into bed with him. “There is no problem. Like I said, I’m just focused on our mission.” I turn to look at him then, hoping my serious expression sells my lie. It’s hard to fool Nick—impossible even—once those eyes narrow and focus, he’s sure to pick up that I’m being untruthful. When he intently searches my face, I know he’s aware of the fact that I’m bullshitting him. But, he shows mercy and lets me off the hook.

  “If you say so,” he drawls and sits back.

  With him not so close anymore, I let out a breath and relax slightly.

  “Since we’re focusing on the mission, what time am I meeting with Campbell again?”

  “You’re meeting with him shortly after we get to the hotel. Are you sure you don’t want me to reschedule? You might be jet lagged.”

  “No, I want to jump right in and get it done. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. By the time we land and get to the hotel it will be about eleven a.m. in Paris. You’re meeting with Campbell at two for lunch, so you’ll have a little while to take a breather and prepare yourself. I spoke to his assistant before we left this morning and confirmed that Oliver is still on for the same time. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

  “Great. I almost wish I was meeting with him as soon as we land.”

  More comfortable with us talking business, I turn to him with a slight smile. “Less time to second guess yourself?”

  “Something like that.”

  Placing a comforting hand over his, which I really shouldn’t have done, I reassure him, “You’ll be great in that meeting. The only thing Campbell will have to say when you’re through is where do I sign?”

  Nick laughs, his eyes lingering on our connecting hands, so I quickly pull away. God, I hate it when we have these intense moments with a hint of awkwardness. They’ve been happening more often than usual as of late. If he noticed my hasty effort to break physical contact, he doesn’t acknowledge it. “You’re always right about these things so who am I to argue?”

  Sending him a smile, I face forward again and stare at the seat in front of me.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Grace

  When we touched down in Paris almost two hours ago, my excitement returned full-force. I stared in awe at everything through the car window. All that was left for me to do was to press my palms and nose against the car window like a child. I can’t believe Nick really took me to Paris with him…well, I guess I can. This isn’t the first time I’ve traveled with him, but...Paris! I’ve always known I’d come here one day but I never thought it would happen so soon.

  “I like seeing that smile on your face,” sounds a deep drawl from beside me.

  I turn to Nick, my smile broadening. “I still can’t believe I’m in Paris. Thank you for bringing me with you.”

  “No need to thank me. You’re supposed to be here. I need you.”

  When we get to the hotel, I watch him saunter to the front desk to check us in. My eyes are glued to his ass. God, he looks great in jeans. With a sigh of longing, I wipe away my imaginary drool and focus on my surroundings. The lobby alone gives off a uniquely ‘French’ air of opulence with its pristine, glazed porcelain tiles, tall vases filled with flowers and crystal chandeliers. It’s like all of the Parisian hotels I’ve seen in movies...magnificent. Adding an extra touch to the lavish atmosphere are the elegantly dressed guests moseying through. A smile touches my lips at the thought that everything is just so...French. Giggling softly, I aim toward Nick, who is chatting with a front desk agent—probably charming the heck out of her if the smile and batting eyelashes are anything to go by.

  My wave of jealousy is overridden by my returning anxiety the closer I get to him. Of course I should have known that my apprehension about being here…with him…wouldn’t stay
away for too long. If there’s one thing I don’t like about myself it’s my penchant for overthinking things and sending myself into a mental frenzy…but I’m not likely to change. Taking a deep breath, I mutter, “Nick and I are here to do a job, and we’re focused on that.” I’m absolutely not going to cross the line with Nick again. Even as I tell myself that, doubt lingers in the shadow of my mind.

  As soon as I step into my room I notice that my luggage has already been brought up. I drop my handbag on the bed and dig inside for my phone. I promised the girls I’d facetime as soon as I could. Within seconds, I’m staring at three grinning faces on my screen. They all still appear to be at work. It’s around five in the evening back in New York so they’re probably all getting ready to go home.

  “Hi, Grace,” Cara and Beth chorus.

  Jazz gushes, “Oh my God. I can’t believe you’re there! You’re so lucky. How is it?”

  “Calm down, Jazz, let her get a word in,” Cara laughs.

  “Sorry,” Jazz says sheepishly.

  “Jazz, I totally get your excitement. It’s great so far...even though I haven’t done anything yet. I mean, just the sights from the airport to the hotel… incredible.”

  “I can just imagine,” Beth sighs.

  “Show us a little bit of the hotel room,” Jazz pleads.

  Switching my camera around, I slowly pan across the room, which results in gasps that I know are coming from Jazz. “Everything looks so French,” she gushes.

  Turning the camera back around I beam. “That’s exactly what I thought when I walked into the lobby.”

  Cara squints at the screen. “Where’s Nick?”

  “Next door. My room is right next to his.”

  “Is it now?’ Beth drawls.

  “Don’t start,” I moan. I’m worried enough about what might happen.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll behave. So, what are you going to do now?”

  I dive onto the massive four-poster bed in the center of the room. “I’m not sure yet. Nick has his meeting in a little while. He decided that he wanted to schedule it for right after we arrived so he can just jump in and get it over with. I arranged everything but I won’t be a part of the meeting. I won’t have much to do work-wise as a matter of fact. I could have actually stayed in New York and seen to all the arrangements from there. I think Nick brought me along under the guise of work because he knows I’ve been dying to come to Paris.”