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"Thank you," Sam said quietly once Hikamori was out of earshot.
His gratitude surprised Trinity. She set her drink down and turned into him "For what?" she asked.
"For going up there with me. For being more than just a cheerleader tonight." Sam's hand found her knee beneath the table and squeezed it. She didn't draw back. "No, that's not right. I'm not giving you enough credit. You've always been more than just a cheerleader, Trinity. You...thank you. We couldn't have locked in this client without you."
What could she say to that? How could she tell Sam that his gratitude meant more to her than even the unexpected kiss they shared? He was seeing her—really seeing her—when so often in their marriage she had felt overlooked and unappreciated.
Trinity's hands hovered indecisively in her lap. She longed to slide her fingers over Sam's, to fit them in between his knuckles and lace their hands together on her knee. A more physical, needy part of her ached for the hand on her knee to ascend up her skirt, without any permission or guidance. She wanted Sam to take advantage of their sudden privacy the same way he had taken advantage of his time on stage. She wanted to see a side of him he had never shown her before. She wanted him to blow her away.
"Oh, and Sam?"
Trinity jumped, and Sam's hand withdrew as Eddie unexpectedly returned to the table. He swooped in and snatched Sam's Manhattan for himself, raising his eyebrows as he leaned in. "I've been thinking more about that sexual harassment seminar. Maybe I'm not the one that would benefit the most from it, you know?"
"Eddie." Sam hissed the warning between his teeth. Trinity turned away to hide her amused smile. She pretended to admire the bar's reproduction of "Dogs Playing Poker" hanging overhead.
"I'm just saying." Eddie clapped his brother on the shoulder, a lot harder than Mr. Hikamori's earlier pat of approval. "I'm not the one kissing Jameson Agency employees."
Chapter Five
Sam
The cool kiss of the frosted beer in his hand, unlike other kisses experienced this past week, was grounding. The
shape of the pint glass perfectly complemented the American Imperial Stout he drank, and Sam took another sip to make sure every detail still tied together the way he wanted.
Eddie's brownstone was as expansive as it was expensive; still, Sam preferred to work from the solitary table by the window rather than take over Eddie's (admittedly unused) office space. The sun was just beginning to set below the New York City skyline, its filtered rays throwing an inconvenient glare across his laptop screen. He shook out his sleeve and checked his watch. He'd been at it for a cumulative four hours, with only occasional pauses to stand and stretch and top off his stout. Anyone else would be satisfied in calling it a day, but Sam was determined to work out the rest of his plan for networking the L.A. event. The sooner he completed the brainstorming stage, the sooner he could get to work on solidifying every detail of the important evening. He liked to know far in advance what he was heading into.
A knock at the door roused him from contemplation. Sam blinked and glanced across the room, unsure if he had heard right and disinterested in investigating.
"You forget your key again? It's open," he called out to his brother. His gaze returned to his computer screen, but snapped back up the next instant when he saw the long-legged figure folding itself through the doorway.
"Sam!” Trinity exclaimed in bewilderment. "I thought I recognized your voice! I mean, not that I wouldn't…anyway. What are you doing here?"
Sam sat back, any thoughts of completing his networking plan now out the window. "I'm staying with Eddie while I'm in town."
Trinity raised an eyebrow. "What? The two of you are staying here together?"
"Our schedules rarely allow us to cross paths," Sam replied. "In fact, I'm not sure why he even pays rent on this place. He may as well have never left Barbados for all the time he spends here."
"You’d like that, wouldn't you?" Trinity mused as she set her bag down by the door. Sam watched her body bend in a graceful, unselfconscious arc, and couldn't find the words to argue for or against her statement. Would he have liked to have avoided being called across the country to be put in charge of onboarding his idiot brother? Of course. Would he have resisted the assignment as strongly, knowing she would be around every corner? He found it increasingly doubtful.
He decided to ignore Trinity's bait. He didn't want to start a fight, at least not this early in the evening. Perhaps an argument was unavoidable, but that didn't mean he couldn't attempt to table it for now. "I assume Eddie's the one you're here to see," he said as he rose. He closed his laptop and pushed it aside.
Trinity nodded, her loose hair falling over one shoulder. She was dressed casually, but she looked no less beautiful for it: her hair was damp from a recent shower, and her makeup was minimal, but her natural radiance was undeniable. "I just wanted to swing by and congratulate him personally," she explained as she toed off her shoes. Sam raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on her clear intention to stay. He was afraid of spooking her. "I just got an e-mail that Eddie's landed a meeting with Goldfinch. They want to sign with us."
"Goldfinch? As in Adrianna Goldfinch?" Sam stared at Trinity as he tried to assess whether she was joking. He decided it was more efficient to just come out and voice his doubts. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope." She was suppressing a smile, that much he could see, but it didn't look to be at his expense. Her eyes shone with her own excitement at the news. "Eddie did what the rest of us couldn't. All it took was a phone call and Goldfinch is snared. They don't want anyone else to represent them."
"I must be dreaming," Sam muttered. "Nobody can get on the phone with Adrianna, much less get her to sign."
"I'd all but given up on them," Trinity agreed. She returned his smile with an ecstatic one of her own, finally acknowledging her own excitement. The expression was enchanting. If there hadn't already been a history between them, Sam would have been intent on making some tonight after a smile like that.
She continued to hover in the doorway, and seemed suddenly uncertain about whether she should enter. Sam rose and crossed decisively to the liquor cabinet. "Let's celebrate," he said as he pulled open the tiny glass door. "What will you be drinking? The usual?"
"Look at you," Trinity said approvingly as she alighted on a stool at the kitchen's bar to watch him work. "Drinking? 'Celebrating'? Don't tell me you've actually learned to cut loose a little out there on the West Coast."
"You just like to pretend I'm a monster who doesn't know how to have fun."
