The first time Nat met Dan was at the annual fall board
meeting of Sherman and Oaks, a security and investigation company that her law
firm employed almost exclusively. Nat was one of the junior partners in the
firm of Walford, Raker, Jones and Anderson and had been working her way up the
ladder since leaving the Attorney General’s office after a two year stint with
them following law school. She had been eager to get into private law and make
some real money after the two years of public scorn working for an unpopular
boss and sexist hierarchy. One of the firm’s senior partners was a brilliant
woman, Claudia Raker and it was she who had courted Nat over to signing up with
them.
Since then,
Nat had worked very hard to be best associate and now junior partner in the
firm. For the most part she had succeeded, in part by winning almost all her
cases and settling those that could not be won. She knew that becoming senior
partner would just take time and had to adjust that the time would not be
anytime soon. Her dedication to the work had left little to no time for
socializing.
Dan, as it
turned out was the lead investigator at Sherman and Oaks and had a reputation
for dogged persistence in pursuing a case. A trait that would have been
admirable in a well dress professionally minded handsome man of which he was
not in any form or fashion. Rather, Dan was a slightly overweight man with a
receding hair-line, a brick jaw and sloppy attire. He wore lose clothes no tie
and jeans into the boardroom and slouched against one wall. Nat would have
dismissed him as a lesser gopher if it had not been for a professionally
dressed and obviously gay admin who insisted that she meet the best
investigator in the firm.
“Now you
have to meet Dan- he’s the greatest.” The Gay admin almost squealed- yes
squealed like a teenage girl. He cleared his throat as he practically skipped
over to the slobbish man leaning against the wall. “Danny?”
“John?” The
man said straightening to look at him with a lopsided easy grin.
“Danny,
this is…” and he motioned Nat to advance. “Miss Natalie Bryant, one of the
rising stars at Walford, Raker, Jones and Anderson.” And he produced her with a
flourish of his hand as if he was showing a new car.
“Miss
Bryant, John speaks highly of you.” Dan said his lopsided grin spreading to a
knowing smile as if he were letting her in on a joke.
“Hello
Dan-“ She replied feeling out of step.
“Oh, sorry,
Natty.” John quipped realizing he hadn’t completed the introduction. “This is
Daniel Myers Esquire…”
Nat ground
her teeth, she hated anyone calling her by “Natty” or Nat or any familiar in
the work space. She forced a polite smile and extended he hand.
“The
pleasure is all mine, Natalie.” Dan said taking her cool hand in his own warm
one.”Don’t let John faze you, he means
well, a bit too friendly though.” And he wiggled his other hand while holding
onto hers as well.
“I see.”
Nat replied more coldly than she meant to as the reclaimed her hand
unconsciously massaging it as if his grip had been to tight rather than the
warm comfort it had conveyed. “Esquire?”
“An
embellishment.” Dan said as he shrugged and John giggled in pleasure- yes he
actually giggled. Nat decided that she disliked John immediately for fawning
all over this underdressed slob and his easy manner. He wasn’t charming; in
fact he was like a old neighbor who knew you too well.
No comments:
Post a Comment