Firm Girls

Chapter 1

I strummed my fingers on the bar in front of me, checking my phone as if annoyed to be waiting on a date, but really using the camera to check on Kyra across the room. She was nearly in the mark's lap. I was fairly sure I would have been able to lift the phone without quite so much frontal action.

A man with pinched eyebrows ambled up and leaned over me, a leer growing on his face as he not-so-subtly tried to peer down my shirt.

I couldn't really blame him, as I had picked this shirt to show off what little I had, but honestly. Zero points for creativity.

"Lesbian," I told him, with enough bite that he wouldn't ask me to prove it. He held up both hands and backed away without another word. My glare must have been impressive. I hadn't even tried.

Finally I heard Kyra's loud giggle, followed by an almost too-loud, "Oh. My. Gosh. You are so funny!"

The signal.

I dropped a ten next to my drink and casually ducked between bodies, moving down the bar to brush against my best friend. We didn't make eye contact. We didn't have to, which is why the two of us always did the lifts. She dropped the phone in my hand and I passed her an identical version. The ubiquitous iPhone made our job so much easier.

I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door, pulling out the various gadgets Brielle and Jess had given me to identify the passcode for his phone and the password for his Cloud. I found the photos – starred – in a minute thirty, and deleted them without examining anything too closely. Naked bodies is all I had to know. I copied his SIM card – you never know when you might need that – and locked the phone again.

Back at the bar, Kyra still held the fake phone. He hadn't noticed his missing, then. He probably wouldn't notice if the bar burned down around him, as long as Kyra's boobs remained inches from his face. I didn't let the smirk reach even my eyes, keeping my face completely bored. I dropped his phone on the ground under his seat and slipped the fake back out of Kyra's hand.

"What was that?" I heard him ask as I slipped past another man and edged my way, slowly, towards the door.

Kyra giggled again. "I think you dropped your phone!"

He laughed, too. No doubt in his mind at all. I breathed out, a tiny smile curving up the side of my mouth.

I called Ms. Jennison from my bedroom that night, after Kyra came home and Jess popped the usual celebratory champagne that the rest of us hated but drank anyway. I could hear her and Evie arguing over the television in the living room. I leaned back in the Ikea desk chair someone else had picked out for the utilitarian bedroom I'd been calling my own for the last six months.

"Ms. Jennison, this is Pen."

"Pen, how was your evening?"

"Exactly as planned, thank you for the opportunity."

"No surprises?"

"None."

"Well, not yet at least."

That was a deviation from the script.

"Sorry?"

"We knew your team would be impressive, even before you graduated, but you still managed to exceed our expectations. You should be proud."

I was stunned into silence for a half second. "Thank you, ma'am, I'm pleased with our performance."

"Always room for improvement, though?"

"Of course." I really didn't know where she was going with this. "We could always be faster, and–"

She cut me off. "The best improvement comes from new situations, new places, new challenges. We want to give you that opportunity."

"We would be grateful."

"In New York."

My mouth gaped open. New York? One of the most prestigious placements in the Firm. "Ma'am, I... I don't know what to say."

"Say, thank you, Ms. Jennison."

"Yes, thank you! Thank you, ma'am."

"We expect you there next week."

Inside, I felt a combination of screaming excitement and blank shock, but I kept my voice level as I replied. "We will be there, ma'am."

"Goodnight, then."

She clicked off before I could respond.

I ran down the hall, sliding the last few feet in my socks. Jess stared up at me with her mouth slightly open. Evie snapped off the television and waited, arms crossed.

"Where are Kyra and Bri?"

"Better question: what's got you so happy?" Jess asked, the words lifting up with her smile.

I could guess the answer to my question: Kyra was out and Brielle was asleep. I could have waited until morning, but what was the fun in that?

"We're going to New York."

Jess leapt to her feet and squealed. "Oh my gosh no! What?!"

Evie frowned. "Why us?"

"Because we are awesome!" Jess was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped in front of her, blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

Evie didn't share the enthusiasm. This was no surprise, as Evie was hardly ever excited about anything, but her doubt dampened my joy. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, sleek black hair tumbling around her shoulders. "There are a lot of teams that would kill for that city. Why us?"

"Jennison thinks we need an opportunity to grow."

"Why are you trying to make this into a bad thing?" Jess asked. "It's amazing. Be happy."

"I just think it's weird." Evie's voice rose.

"We were the best in our class, and we've completed every task. You know we got attention with the Guttenstein case. I think they want to push us, see how much we can do."

Evie was still shaking her head, so I kept going. "It's not like we'll be the only team in New York." I held her dark almond eyes with my own. Evie was a pessimist, but she didn't take any joy in bringing others down. She had a reason for the negativity. "We'll be careful, Eve. We'll watch our backs."

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly and I knew I'd won her over. Jess did, too.

"I'm going to wake up Bri!" She hurried towards the stairs that led to the other bedrooms.

"We're supposed to be in New York next week. Think you can handle that?" I asked Jess.

She paused, one hand on the banister, twisting back to look at me. "How big are we going?"

I hesitated. If Kyra were here, she would ask for a penthouse suite in Manhattan, or perhaps a set of apartments so she could live alone. But Evie's warning rang in my head. "Something low key. Under the radar."

She nodded. "Cool. I'll send you options tomorrow morning."

I waved her off and went back to the bedroom I would be leaving within days, thankful I preferred a more minimalist approach to my wardrobe and possessions. We wouldn't be able to bring much and would donate whatever we couldn't bring. No trace left behind. Complete fresh start. We had proven ourselves, rising faster than I had expected. But I would be damned if I let this unexpected success slip away. We would be the best team in New York by this time next year. That was the only option.