Chapter 16

Who the actualfuck calls someone without warning? Natalia stared down at the phone buzzing in her hand. Seconds before she had to walk into a United in PRIDE board meeting, the last thing she needed was an unscheduled phone call from the good professor.

Body flushing with adrenaline, heart leaping into a trot, Natalia identified her physiological response as irritation. That was it. She was angry.

She answered the call, not because she wanted to hear Samantha’s voice, but because she was going to tell her that she couldn’t just drop in on her. Not in person at her office and not on the damn phone. What the hell was this? 1975? People didn’t just call people.

Natalia stepped into the stairwell. “Dr. Reyes, to what do I owe this intrusion?”

“Your sweet talk is so next level,” Sam replied without attempting to hide her smile. “Don’t get me used to this.” Sam’s voice was like whisky — smooth and warm, with a hint of spice.

Natalia cursed internally at the way it slipped down her spine. It was intoxicating, distorting her resolve and scrambling her thoughts.

“Did you ambush me for this, Professor?”

“Ambush?” Samantha laughed, the sound rich and unhurried, like honey spilling from a jar. “I just wanted to see if you were free for dinner tomorrow night for a second date. Although it could be fourth…” her voice drifted, “but let’s say second so you don’t freak out.”

Natalia’s jaw clenched. She hated feeling caught off guard. Hated the flutter Samantha’s voice triggered low in her belly. Hated that she refused to stop calling their meetings dates.

“Most people text,” Natalia replied crisply.

“Where’s the fun in that? I wanted to hear your voice.” Smug amusement colored Samantha’s tone. Natalia imagined her lounging back in her office chair, feet propped up, enjoying this game. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

The easy way Samantha uttered her admission was a sneak attack. An unsporting violation of Geneva Conventions and Sun Tzu’s ancient instruction to leave an opponent with room to run. Pressure mounted at the base of Natalia’s skull, rousing her flight response.

“And you decided to intrude on my day to tell me so?” Natalia forced her tone to remain even and distant.

“Well, I was aiming for a delightful surprise,” she replied, like they were trading sweet nothings. “Sooooo… dinner? Thursday?”

“I have a dinner meeting with a programming exec.”

“Friday?”

“Call with a director in Sydney.”

“All night?” Samantha chuckled. “New strategy. When are you available?”

Tonight was her only free evening for the next week and a half, but she didn’t want to tell her that. Didn’t want Samantha to guess that she wanted to see her too. She was probably infuriating when she gloated.

“You’ve caught me at a terrible time with your unexpected phone call?—”

“A call you could have let go to voicemail?—”

Heat surged through Natalia’s body. It was not normal to be attracted to someone so irritating. She hated how her body responded to her. How her curiosity was dragged kicking and screaming to life while anticipating what Samantha might say next.

“Tonight at ten,” Natalia snapped as if she’d said no. “Is that too late for you on a school night, Professor?”

“For you, Ms. Flores, I’d sacrifice more than just a REM cycle.”

The moment Natalia’s lips twitched into a half-smile, she hung up the phone like it was radioactive. She opened her messenger app.

Natalia: This is a text you can read at your leisure and respond when convenient. See how this works?

Until she hit the air-conditioned hallway, she hadn’t realized how hot she’d been in the cement hell of the stairwell. With her finger, she wiped the thin sheen of sweat on her lip and checked her makeup on her phone’s camera. She was fixing the corner of her eyeliner that had run when Samantha’s name appeared in a text notification.

Professor Reyes: I’d be happy to pick you up for our date. No sense in paying for parking twice.

Without considering the ridiculous suggestion, Natalia slipped her phone into the pocket of her orange blazer and returned to what she’d been doing before she was derailed. In the conference room United in PRIDE used for board meetings, Natalia discovered that she was the last to arrive. She liked being last, but she didn’t like being perilously close to late.

Of the twelve other members on the board of directors, Natalia’s attention drifted to one. Lola, her dark hair slicked into a painfully tight bun and her dark eyes wearing an intensity that rarely wavered, was sitting to the right of Natalia’s seat at the head of the long table.

Immediately, Natalia sensed the tension between Lola and Francis. Despite having missed it, Natalia recreated what had transpired. Francis had been on the board for two years and had never stopped trying to usurp Natalia. Occasionally, she tried to sit in Natalia’s seat, claiming that Natalia didn’t own the chair and they didn’t have assigned spots.

Lola had only been on the board a few weeks, and even though it was her first full meeting, she probably guessed there was a reason no one else had taken the place at the head. She imagined Lola’s face when Francis tried to weasel into her seat. Imagined Francis’ shock when she couldn’t get away with it. Not that she wouldn’t have moved when Natalia arrived, but it was much less awkward this way. The scene in her head nearly led her to smile at Lola before regaining control of herself.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Natalia said while she swept in and took her place. “Let’s get started.”

Natalia ran through the agenda efficiently, keeping the meeting productive and on track. She kept her attention on Lola from the corner of her eye.

The young agent sat straight-backed, taking meticulous notes and listening intently. She only spoke when called upon, but her remarks were thoughtful and well-reasoned. It was clear Lola took this appointment as seriously as Natalia hoped.

When Natalia first decided to bring her protégé onto the board, she wondered if it might be premature. Lola still had sharp edges in need of smoothing, impulses in need of tempering.

But watching her today, Natalia felt an unfamiliar swell of pride. Of satisfaction in seeing potential fulfilled. She knew all too well how much discipline and resilience it took to transform raw talent into leadership. Lola had come far, but she had the capacity for so much more.

Near the end of the meeting, Natalia announced a new subcommittee focused on providing financial literacy and investment training for LGBTQ+ youth. To her surprise, Lola immediately volunteered to chair it.

Natalia’s lips curved into a hint of a smile as Lola explained her passion for giving young LGBTQ+ people the financial skills she wished she’d had. Natalia was impressed by her initiative.

When the meeting adjourned, she lingered as the room emptied until it was just her and Lola.

“Leading a subcommittee is a lot of work,” Natalia said. “Organizing people and processes brings significant challenges.”

Lola nodded. “I know I have a lot to learn. But I want to do something meaningful here. Make a difference.”

Sincerity shone in her determined eyes. The temperamental girl was now a thoughtful woman. She saw so much of her younger self in Lola — hungry to prove herself, intent on building the future she envisioned no matter the cost.

Natalia had never wanted children. The thought of passing on her legacy that way had never appealed. She preferred to mold careers, shape talents, empower others to carry on her work.

And with Lola, she felt she’d done just that. This fiery, bold young woman embodied everything Natalia hoped the next generation would be. Fiercely idealistic yet pragmatic. Compassionate but uncompromising. Tempered by Adriana’s caution and reason, they would do so much more than Natalia ever dreamed possible.

As Natalia left the building after the meeting, she felt uncharacteristically contemplative. Watching Lola come into her own had sparked thoughts about the future, about legacy.

Her thoughts drifted unexpectedly to Samantha. The intriguing professor was an undeniably new element in her orderly life. Natalia was sure that her intrigue was pinned to how hard to dominate she was. Being with Samantha was a challenge, and Natalia couldn’t help but rise to that. To win.

Natalia suddenly imagined what it might be like if Samantha were part of her future. To let someone know her, truly know her, after so long alone at the top. The thought made her feel vulnerable, exposed.

She was a different person than she had been thirty years ago. She’d been just a kid, really. Barely an adult trying to make it on her own with no family. No support. Maybe dating wasn’t so dangerous now. It’s not like she’d ever let anyone hurt her again. She was a woman. Grown and strong and submissive to no one. Could she try? The thought was an exposed nerve, too tender to touch after all this time.

She halted that train of thought abruptly and checked her watch. Still a few hours before she had to meet Samantha for dinner.

Pushing aside thoughts of the future, she turned her mind to the present. She refused to let her disciplined mind wander any further down the dangerous path it had careened toward. For now, there was only tonight. There was only gaining Samantha’s trust so she could close the deal. So what if she happened not to hate spending time with her? It didn’t have to mean anything.