Club Prive Book V (11 page)

Carrie gave me a soft smile, the same smile that she'd been wearing since she'd started making these plans. I loved Carrie, but she'd always been a bit uptight. She'd always been the one who'd needed coaxing to follow her heart and her dreams. Now, she was leaving one of the largest divorce law firms in New York to start her own pro bono law practice helping people who'd been abused, specifically focusing on the sex trafficking industry.

“I'm going to miss you,” I said. As soon as I said the words, I wished I could take them back. They hadn't come out as light-hearted as I'd intended, and sincere emotions weren't something I liked showing in public.

Carrie paused in her packing and looking up, giving me a puzzled look. I had to drop my gaze down to where my fingers were tapping at the edge of the desk. I couldn't meet those dark eyes. Not when it was finally time to tell her.

“What do you mean you're going to miss me?” she asked. “I'm only going to be four blocks away. We can still have lunch together every day and meet after work for drinks whenever you want. That's the joy of being my own boss. Flexibility.”

I pushed back my thick, glossy black hair. It was past my shoulders now and I was thinking it might be a good idea to cut it before I left. There was a big difference in the weather from here to where I was going.

“Is this about me moving in with Gavin?”

Carrie's question made me look up, startled. I hadn't thought she'd take it that way.

“I thought you said you were okay with it.”

I straightened. “I am,” I assured her. “I am. Gavin's smoking hot, and a really good guy. I'm glad that you're moving in together.”

I was telling the truth. For a while after they'd first met, my approval of Gavin had fluctuated, but once the whole truth had come out, I'd been more than happy to put my stamp of approval on their relationship. Some people might've thought they were moving too fast, but I knew Carrie. She never would've made this decision if she wasn't sure about him, and I'd given her my full support. She deserved to be happy, and so did he.

Carrie folded her arms over her chest and her eyes narrowed. “Well, something's weird with you. What is it, girl? Spill.”

Damnit. Why did she always have to be so insightful when it came to me? I'd wanted to ease into this, but like most of my life, I'd fallen into it. “I'm probably leaving the company too,” I said slowly. Carrie's eyes widened. “And that's not all,” I continued. “I'm most likely leaving New York as well.”

Carrie's jaw dropped and she stared at me for nearly a full uncomfortable minute. Then her mouth snapped shut and she gave me a suspicious look. “Are you saying this because I'm moving out? If you don't want me to go or you think I'm moving too fast with Gavin, just say so. He'll understand if I change my mind.”

Was she serious? I rolled my eyes. Only Carrie would think of something like that. She was getting shit from a lot of different people about her choices lately, so it wasn't entirely unmerited. Still, I thought she knew me better than that.

“Really, Carrie? Come on. You know me better than that,” I said. “I think you and Gavin should definitely move in together. The truth is, there's a job as an associate looking my way.”

I saw shock, then hurt, cross her face.

“You've been keeping this a secret from me for how long? Why?”

“I applied three months ago,” I said. “And then I had the phone interview two weeks after that. Understand why I didn't say anything?” I saw her doing the math in her head and then watched her frustration with me fade away as she realized that I hadn't told her because she'd had enough going on at the time. “I haven't exactly gotten it yet. Besides, I didn't even know if I'd get called out for a face-to-face interview.”

“And that's what this is? Not a definite, but an interview?”

I nodded. “They said it was down to just three applicants now. I think I have a good shot.” I paused, then added, “And even if I don't get it, I might look out there anyway.”

“Out there?” Carrie echoed. I knew she was still putting the pieces together and had just understood that when I said out of the city, I hadn't meant Jersey. “Where's the job?”

Here was the part I really hadn't been looking forward to. “On the West Coast.”

Carrie took a slow, deep breath, letting it out before she asked her next question. “You mean you might move to San Francisco or someplace like that?”

“Not San Francisco,” I said. “Hollywood.”

“Are you nuts? You want to go be some divorce lawyer in LA?”

I shook my head. If she hated that idea, she was really going to hate this one. “The offer's from a talent agency.”

She frowned. “A talent agency? What, are you trying to become an actress or something?”

It was a mark of our friendship that I took pride in her snide remark. I found it comforting that I'd rubbed off on her over the years. “No, smart-ass,” I said. “One of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood needs another associate in their legal department. Remember that guy, Kenny, who used to work here?”

“The one you made out with in the elevator and then bragged about it over drinks?” Carrie's lips twitched into a grin. “Yeah, I have a vague recollection of him.”

I laughed. Even with as kinky as she and Gavin had gotten, Carrie was still hesitant to talk about sex anywhere that wasn't our apartment. Or, based on what I'd heard through our thin walls, the bedroom. “We did a little more than make-out, but yes, that's the one. He's been trying to get back in my pants ever since. His cousin works at the agency and told him they were looking for another associate. He figured it'd be a good reason to call.”

“Did you go out with him again?” Carried asked.

I shook my head. “No way. He wasn't that good, or that hot.” I ignored the judgey look she was sending my way. She might keep her mouth shut about it most of the time, but I knew she didn't approve of the way I handled my romantic life. “But I did decide to send in my resume and now they want me to fly in for an interview.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Monday morning. The meeting's at noon.”

“Look, I'm happy you have this opportunity,” Carrie said. Her eyes were bright with tears. “But if you get this job, am I ever going to see you again, or is this it?”

I rolled my eyes again. “Of course we'll see each other.” I playfully pushed at her arm, trying to lighten the mood. This is exactly what I hadn't wanted. “I'll come visit. Or, here's an idea. You and Gavin can move to LA. Start your little sexy club out there. Give me a good place to scope out all those California hotties.”

“Krissy,” Carrie said my name with a combination of affection and irritation.

“And your pro bono business can be just as effective on the West Coast. There are plenty of young women being abused in California. Trust me. Probably more than in New York.”

Carrie frowned. “That's not funny.”

I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. I knew I'd crossed the line as soon as the words had left my mouth. “I know, I know. Crude,” I said. “But I'm pretty sure that's a true statement.”

Carrie nodded and her expression shifted to one of sadness. “What am I going to do without you?”

I put my arm around her shoulders. If she started crying, I was going to start and I didn't particularly like the idea of walking around for the next hour or so with red eyes.

“Come on,” I said. “Let's go get some of that cake. I heard Mimi ordered the same as last time: Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting.”

Carrie gave a laugh that had a sniffle in the middle of it. “She
always
orders Red Velvet...”

I laughed and started to walk us both towards the conference room. I hadn't told Mimi about the interview yet. That was another conversation I didn't really want to have. I pushed down the butterflies that wanted to make an appearance. I wasn't usually the nervous type, but even I had a bit of anxiety about this one. It would be my first big venture completely on my own. Going away to college didn't really count. This was the first adult move I'd be making, and it would be across the country all by myself. On the one hand, I was excited by the prospect of a change, of soaking up the sun in LA, rubbing elbows with all of the beautiful people, but on the other hand, I'd miss all of my friends. No matter what I told Carrie, I wasn't sure how often I'd be able to make it back across the country. I didn't want to lose the people I cared about, but I didn't want to pass up this chance.

I forced thoughts of myself to the back of my mind as Carrie and I entered the conference room. This wasn't the time or place. This was Carrie's moment to say her good-byes and get her well wishes. My time was coming... soon.

Don't miss a minute of the summer's hottest new romance series,
Chasing Perfection
, coming July 14
^th
.
Click here
to get an email as soon as the book is available. 

Connect with me on Facebook:
http://Facebook.com/MsParkerAuthor

Acknowledgement

First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

A big “thanks” goes out to all my Facebook fans, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of this series. Finally, I would love to thank Shannon Hunt, my wonderful PA.

About The Author

M. S. Parker is the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privé.

Living in Southern California, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop, writing her next spicy romance.

This book was a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 M.S. Parker

Published by Belmonte Publishing.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.