It's a mixed bag.

What made this more difficult than anything else was the volume and variance. It wasn't just one case. It seemed like she'd dumped an entire filing cabinet on the bed. "How do you work like this?"

"Some of us are **** to make due with what we have. We can't ask be given perfect positions with wonderful subordinates," Dani kept her eyes down on the papers. You weren't sure what was going through her mind. You felt like you'd cracked her façade a bit.

You tossed the papers in your hands back onto the bed. "Do you have something against me or Aubrey? Why the hell are you making things so difficult and being such a bitch?"

Dani's eyes shot up at you with a look that gave you pause. She was angry. Almost furious. You weren't sure if it was good that you'd pulled that out or bad. "Let me ask you something, Mr. Doe: who was the last colleague you were compared to?"

"What? I don't know what that means. People don't—" you stopped. You never thought about it and people around the office very rarely brought it up, but others weren't so kind. "My father." It was a moment of vulnerability you weren't quite sure you were even ready for.

"Do you enjoy the comparisons? People wonder why you do things a certain way or act a certain way. I don't act like I'm better than others; I am better than others. I clawed my way up, paying and paving my own way. I did things my way and I did not compromise or sell out a single bit of myself. Now, I have a mountain of success to sit up on. Yet people still compare me to my contemporaries. It is derogatory and needless, but the filth feels the need to run their mouths when they feel threatened. I may be a bitch to you, Mr. Doe, but I am what I am because it was what I needed to do to get this far without becoming someone I would hate." She went back to work while leaving you to sit and chew on what she said.

You couldn't deny that you had gotten lucky. Sure, you were good at what you did, but having a place to go to immediately after college—especially at the capacity you were in—was exceedingly rare for most people. Dani had built her business herself, and you didn't know her history other than that.

"So, you're poaching me to... what? Prove you're better than her?" You still looked at her even while she was actively avoiding looking at you. Your words earned a frustrated sigh from her and the next thing you knew, you were on your back against the bed. Her hands were on your wrists as she started directly into your eyes.

"What a short-sighted view you must have of me. If I wanted to slight that bimbo, there are easier ways to do it. I want you with me because I want you with me. It is a net positive for me. I gain someone I can trust almost as much as myself and said person can help my business flourish. You working for that woman is an inconvenient distraction. Think what you will, but I would never stoop as low as that." She kept you held down, awaiting your response.

"So what the fuck was that at the hot tub? Stripping and taunting me?" You snapped back. "That seemed pretty low to me."

Dani sat up, still on top of you. "Has being with Aubrey lowered your intelligence?" She let out a rather haughty scoff. "My deal is genuine. I have done my due diligence in researching you, speaking to colleagues and professors, as well as any clients you had worked with. I don't just want someone to share my business or work with; I want someone I can share everything with. You are someone that I believe I can do that with, should you wake up and finally see what you would gain from it."

"And what is it that I would gain, exactly?" You were both angered, but also somewhat aroused with her on top of you, though you weren't going to voice that.

She leaned back down, pressing her body against yours. You felt her breath against your ear, "you would be second-in-command to the biggest firm in the state. You would have a salary that you could only dream of. You could and would do and afford whatever you want. And you would have the sexiest woman alive with you in lockstep." Dani let one of her hands cup your cheek, pulling your ear in closer to her lips. "Do those sound like suitable gains?"

The obvious answer was 'yes.' Aside from the short-term implosion, you knew that your life would improve massively in many different ways from taking her deal. You weren't sure what it would do to your friendships, especially at work. It would definitely destroy your marriage. You gently pushed her off of you and sat up, grabbing some papers and starting to sort again.

"This doesn't count as work or experience, unless what you usually do all day is sort through miscellaneous paperwork on your bed. Tomorrow, we'll see what working with you is like." Not even you were entirely sure why you were giving her a second go of it.

She seemed pleased, though, as a small smile crept into her face before she, too, resumed working. "Very well, Mr. Doe."