Had it been a block further west, the wine bar's twenty-foot glass windows would have overlooked the river. Instead they stared across Wacker Drive at another equally glassy façade. Alexandra sat at the bar, sipping a glass of Cabernet and replaying her afternoon.
Pretty good
, she thought.
No awkward silences, no trick questions, no red flags.
They seemed impressed with the questions I asked and even laughed a few times.
Good interview.
She looked down at her outfit. Black blazer, matching slacks, cream-colored cashmere sweater.
Not the best choice for red wine.
When she next checked the entrance, a familiar figure stepped through the door. Alexandra nodded to the bartender, who poured a second glass of the same wine.
Kira eased into the seat next to her girlfriend, wavy blonde hair bouncing.
"So... how did it go?"
"It went well. And you don't get more until I get a kiss."
Alexandra was rewarded with long fingers on her neck, tips tracing circles on her skin as Kira planted a less-than-chaste kiss on her lips.
"How does that work?"
"Mm. Gets you a glass of wine, too," said Alexandra. She slid the second glass over, raising hers to toast. "Thank you for meeting me. Picking me up. Whatever."
"Whatever," toasted Kira. "I've never toasted to 'whatever.' I kinda like it. Health? Friends? Nah, fuck that. Toast to 'whatever.' You're a genius, Henderson."
Alexandra laughed, sloshing the wine around her glass. "So, yeah, it went pretty well. Won't know for a little while, but six interviews back-to-back...pretty taxing on the introvert mind."
"So you went to a bar afterwards. With more people." Kira gestured around the swanky restaurant, where a variety of well-dressed diners raised a variety of wine glasses.
"Are posers like us even allowed in here? Or can they not tell?"
"Honey, you look like you could work in any one of these offices around here. And me? Well, any of these bitches who look too closely will see that these shoes mean I can pay the bills. So yes, we can hang out here," said Kira.
There's nothing terribly remarkable about them.
Heels, yes.
Nice ones, yes.
But I think I'm trailing far behind "bitches who look to closely" in the shoe game
, thought Alexandra.
"That was something I'd been meaning to talk to you about," started Alexandra. "That your family-"
"Yes, my family is wealthy," interrupted Kira. "Mette told me that she tipped you off. But the fact that you've known for more than a week and haven't acted differently suggests you're neither impressed nor scared. I like that."
"It's just a foreign world to me," said Alexandra. She sipped the wine, fruity notes dancing in her head.
"You'll be fine. What Mette didn't tell you is that her family makes mine look positively middle-class."
"Oh?"
"Her father is on the board of directors of Norway's largest oil company, the one that has a stake in literally every project in their side of the North Sea. Her mother -- they've been divorced for decades -- is CEO of her family's little empire in Denmark. So Mette is corporate royalty in two different countries. Don't let that woman tell you
my
family's rich."
"Even if it's true," said Alexandra, a twinkle in her eye.
"Even if it is," agreed Kira.
"Hi." The sharp voice came from behind Alexandra's shoulder.
Oh, god.
Katy McLean.
If there were an internet gallery of faces for that moment when your girlfriend meets your fuckbuddy, well, mine's now in it.
Even if they know each other exist and are both cool with it.
Ugh.
Alexandra buried her face in her elbow.
Kira stood. "Hi," she said, shaking the woman's hand. "I'm Kira. I assume you're Katy?"
"Impressive," said the smaller woman, now standing behind the couple's barstools. "It's really nice to meet you. Alexandra's told me so much about you."
"Likewise," said Kira.
What the fuck,
thought Alexandra.
They're just acting as if this is completely normal.
"Sorry," Katy said. "I didn't want to be awkward or anything, but I just wanted to tell Alexandra how impressed everyone was with her today. She really knocked it out of the park."
Alexandra felt the blush spread across her face. It threatened to consume her.
Is there a wine bottle around here big enough to hide in?
"Well, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that once she crawls out of that hole she's trying to dig herself into," said Kira. She turned to Alexandra. "Honey, welcome to slut life. Sometimes two people you fuck are going to meet each other."
Katy laughed, and Alexandra finally stole a peek at her. Pink pixie cut swept to the side, leather jacket, super-skinny dark jeans. Her ubiquitous Chucks, this time bright green.
She looks good.
Alexandra's eyes met Kira's.
Fuck, she agrees with that assessment.
"So, what brings you two in here tonight?" Katy's tone remained light.
"I was coming up from the South Side and she... well, you know where she's been."
Yes,
thought Alexandra.
At her office.
Being interviewed for a job.
I'd like to teleport back there now, please.
"Like I said, she did great. I hope she takes the offer."
"So what brings
you
here?" said Kira. She sipped her wine, green eyes peering over the rim.
"Oh, I have a date. I'm just early. And rather than standing in the corner like I was scared of my own shadow, I thought I'd come make Little Miss Cat-got-her-tongue over here as uncomfortable as possible."
Even better.
Your girlfriend meets your fuckbuddy.
When your fuckbuddy is on a date.
Greeeeeeat. Uncomfortable?
You succeeded.
Kira laughed. "Well, I think you've managed that."
"And actually, I wanted to meet you. I know we all crossed paths on the street a while back, and...well, I guess I was just curious."
"I'm an open book," said Kira. The bar was filling up, more suits and obvious first-date couples entering than exiting.
