"Lauren! Wait up!"

The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes slightly as she turned around and gave her best friend a smile. Tamsin pushed through the crowd towards her friend and enveloped her in a huge hug, sort of the status quo for her greeting style.

"Umph...Hi Tamsin."

The taller blonde smiled and put an arm around her as the pair turned and continued walking in the direction Lauren had been heading. Tamsin looked up at the beautiful New York skyline as she sighed happily and gave Lauren a winning smile. "So Counselor, I hear good things about you being whispered over the hub bub of Wall Street."

Lauren laughed and tucked some hair behind her ear as she shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary Tamsin. And where have you been? I've been calling you for weeks."

Tamsin gave her a smirk. "I've been preoccupied."

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Does preoccupied have a name or should I just call him Mr. Right Now?"

Tamsin laughed and pulled out the latest copy of the Wall Street Journal. "Front page."

Lauren took the paper and shook her head with a smile. He was typical Tamsin material and she knew her friend was probably the only woman who could turn this man's head. The print went on to explain how the heir apparent to a large chain of hotel developers was in New York and she was almost certain it was to visit her best friend.

Since they were in diapers Lauren and Tamsin had been connected at the hips. As much as Lauren was conservative and stuck to the rules Tamsin was wild and pushing them to their boundaries. It was no surprise that when they grew up Lauren went on to become one of the most successful attorneys representing a large number of Fortune 100 companies as a corporate liaison whilst Tamsin had become the head of her own advertising agency and on the short list that was allowed to keep Lauren on retainer for her services.

"So is...Jonathan Flourette...enjoying his time in New York?"

Tamsin laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Well he's enjoying his stay at the hotel that's for sure."

Lauren scoffed and shrugged her best friend's hand off her shoulder. "Don't you get tired of being the flavor of the week?"

Tamsin gave her a hard stare before shrugging. "Who said I'm the flavor of their week? Look Lauren, you and I both know love, happiness and success make up the impossible triangle. Two out of three aint bad and last time I check I was pretty damn happy."

Lauren sighed and stopped at a street vendor to get a cup of coffee. "Yeah but come on Tamsin, this game has to end sometime right?"

Tamsin paid for her own coffee before trotting behind her friend with a smirk on her face. "Like you?"

Lauren stopped and gave her an incredulous look. "Low blow. I cannot believe you went there."

Tamsin shrugged. "What can I say, Nadia was a bitch. Full of herself. It's been over two years Laur...time to move on. Speaking of which I want you to come to dinner with me tonight."

Lauren scoffed at her. "Why?"

Tamsin licked her lips and smiled. "Well Jonathan has a sister…"

Lauren frowned. "No."

Tamsin put her arm on Lauren's shoulder to stop her from turning away. "Hold on. Jeez. Ok look, I'll make you a deal. Come, have dinner, make nice and I'll go with you to that damn opera you've been bugging me about."

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest. "Opera and that new Japanese restaurant. On you."

Tamsin scowled knowing it was useless to argue with literally the best negotiator in the country. "Fine."

Lauren smiled and nodded her head. "Okay. What time and where?"

Tamsin gave her the address of the new hot spot that had opened up a few weeks ago and told her to be there at eight lookin sharp. Lauren shook her head and agreed before turning into her Manhattan office building. Yes, building. When Lauren started her legal services she had intended to become an in-house counsel for a large company figuring this was the most secure way to establish herself. She knew from when she was in law school that she didn't want to be a trial attorney and her strong ethical beliefs pushed her towards corporate law where she found herself not only being able to help many companies out of highly compromising situations. The added bonus was that she was able to sleep at night and the more she threw herself into her work the more successful she would become.

After a year in corporate law however she discovered being the in-house counsel she'd wanted to be wasn't enough for her. She grew bored at the company she was at and left to open her own practice. Within two years she'd made a name for herself and after her fifth year in practice she had a successful little law firm that serviced the top one percent of companies worldwide. She had two partners and three junior partners working for her and she felt that it was time to step her business up. She purchased the old warehouse in the financial district and transformed it into Lewis & Associates which was now at the top of every ranking of law firms both domestically and internationally.

The day flew by quickly and Lauren found herself rushing out of her office at seven o'clock to get across town and make the eight o'clock reservation time. She managed to get there just as Tamsin was walking up to the entrance of the restaurant. Tamsin smiled and linked her arm through Lauren's as she led her inside.

"Okay, quick rundown. Jonathan is the business guy and heir to the company's US based entities. His sister, Evony, runs the European and Asian networks for their company and is bi-coastal spending about half her time here and half her time in London."

Lauren laughed. "Don't you mean bi-country then?"

Tamsin shrugged. "It's right across the pond. Anyway. Oh and she's been single for about six months. Her last fling was some model from France who apparently barely spoke English."

Lauren looked surprised. "Does Evony speak French?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Don't know and don't care. Point is she's single and of your pedigree so give it consideration. Oh there they are."

Tamsin led them over to the table where the siblings were sitting and Lauren inwardly groaned. She took one look at Evony and knew exactly what kind of woman she was. Elite. Upper crust. Snobby. Sure she was beautiful and had exquisite taste in fashion but from what Lauren could see that was about all she was good for. The predatory smile Evony was displaying told Lauren that Tamsin and Jonathan must have planned this little set up and she could only imagine what story Evony got of her.

The one downside to being successful and very very wealthy at a young age was finding someone she could actually fall in love with. There seemed to be an expectation about the type of woman she was seen with and when she thought about it the last two women she had seriously dated fit the profile to a tee. They were beautiful, successful and at the top of their industry which was an appropriate match to the powerful attorney. What they lacked however was any substance and any ability to make Lauren feel like more than a name and a person to whose arm they wanted to be on. As far as power couples go Lauren knew she could have her pick of the ladies but this though seemed to annoy her most days which is why she kept herself out of the dating game as much as possible. She'd sort of given up on romance and knew this was a result of her choice of careers.

The two blondes approached the table and Jonathan gave Tamsin a warm hug before introducing her to Evony. Tamsin and Evony exchanged pleasantries before Tamsin turned to Lauren and introduced her to Evony and Jonathan in turn. Lauren took a good look at Jonathan and she smiled as he seemed to be genuinely down to earth and had an obvious interest in her best friend who also seemed to tune out the rest of the world while in the presence of her latest man crush.

"So Lauren, Jonathan tells me you're an attorney."

Lauren gave her a tight smile and nodded. "Yes, corporate law."

Evony took a sip of her water and nodded. "Interesting, what firm? I'm sure I would have heard of it."

Lauren did everything she could not to actually get up and leave at Evony's attitude. She was correct about all of her assumptions and she knew this line of questioning was a test to see if she would be worth Evony's time. Lauren sighed and sat back in her chair barely trying to hide her boredom. "Lewis & Associates."

Evony raised an eyebrow. "The exclusive law firm? I've heard of them. Seems no one can get on their client list."

Lauren gave her an amused smirk. It was rare for her to meet anyone in business that hadn't heard of her firm and moreso know who she was before she even opened her mouth. But then again she figured Evony was the type of woman who couldn't be bothered with the little details. "Flourette Enterprises shopping around? I'll put in a word with the partners."

Evony scoffed. "Have some pull there? I'm surprised, you seem too young to get those old goats at the top to listen."

Lauren rolled her eyes. It was one thing for Evony to be oblivious to her success which she felt an odd sense of annoyance at but it was another for Evony to downright demean her slightly as if she was nothing more than the average joe her brother was trying to set her up with. "Those old goats will listen."

Evony raised an eyebrow. "Confident."

Lauren gave her a victorious smirk. Normally she's not this passive aggressive but she felt it was warranted given Evony's initial high nosed treatment towards her. With a sip of water she replied in a flat voice, "Owner."

"Good evening, my name is Bo and I will be your head server this evening. May I offer any suggestions on our wine list or answer any questions about the menu?"

Evony scowled at Lauren and waved her hand at the voice. She didn't appreciate being mocked and she knew that was exactly what Lauren was doing. So what if she owned her little law firm, Evony and her company were worth billions and she was going to make sure Ms. Lauren Lewis understood that. "We'll take a bottle of Moet and will call you when we need you."

Lauren bit her tongue as she glanced up at the server who was standing there with a patient smile on her face despite Evony's comment. Now given the fact that Lauren had literally seen her share of the most beautiful women in the country she was surprised to find herself almost blushing at the young woman standing in front of the table. The girl was also a brunette but she had a soft glow about her that Lauren felt drawn to for some reason and she immediately felt a need to smooth over the rude treatment of the brunette sitting across from her so she gave the server a gentle smile and a nod of her head. "Thank you."

The brunette gave Lauren a warm smile and turned to nod at Evony. "Absolutely. Take your time and welcome to Mariano's."

Lauren found herself watching the server walk away and had to blink slightly before turning back to the table noticing they were all in candid conversation. Tamsin glanced over at her with a look that clearly said 'wtf' and Lauren just shrugged before turning to Jonathan and Evony with a smile.

"So Jonathan, Tamsin tells me you're spending a few months here in New York."

Jonathan gave her a warm smile and nodded as he took Tamsin's hand. "We're in discussion with a few hotels to do some upgrade work and as an added bonus I get to spend time with your friend here."

Tamsin made a happy noise and smiled at Lauren pointedly. "And, Evony will be here with him before heading back to London."

Lauren nodded and gave Evony a polite smile before kicking Tamsin under the table. She was over this set up and the meal hadn't even begin which told her it was going to be a very long evening. With as much patience as she could muster she addressed the woman across from her who was barely trying to hide her boredom at the situation. "Have you been enjoying your time here?"

Evony rolled her eyes and sat up in her chair slightly. "New York is so last season. Culturally and otherwise I'd take Paris over this city any day."

Lauren couldn't help herself as she rolled her own eyes in return. She had a feeling no matter what she said from this point forward that Evony was going to have some kind of snobbish remark to interject so she figured offering a peace gesture was the best thing to do. "Well I hope you manage to find some culture in this city before you leave."

Evony gave Lauren an amused look. "Offering to be a tour guide?"

Lauren opened her mouth to answer but was saved by the server, Bo, returning to the table with the champagne. There was no way in hell Lauren was going to be Evony's tour guide and she was thankful for the distraction because she wasn't sure what was going to come out of her mouth at that instant. The other reason she was thankful for the distraction was that she got to take another look at the waitress and she was now certain she had never seen anyone more beautiful and she wondered if it would be odd to ask for her phone number after the meal was over.

Wait what?

Lauren didn't do things like that and she was certain she was under some kind of spell so instead she just sat and watched Bo do her thing with the champagne. She silently poured the bubbly and Lauren gave her a bright smile thankful for the interruption. Evony noticed the look Lauren gave the waitress and rolled her eyes that the blonde would even give the help a second look.

"So Bridget was it? What are the specials? Or do I need to walk you through every step of this meal?"

Jonathan gave his sister an annoyed look while Tamsin and Lauren exchanged glances before sighing and hoping this brunette could handle herself against the wrath that Evony appeared to have. To her credit Bo held her temper in check but did raise her eyebrows in surprise before putting a fake smile on her face and going through tonight's menu selection and answering Evony's laundry list of questions about the food.

The more Evony seemed to grill the brunette the more Lauren wanted to strangle her. She considered interjecting when Evony was on her eighth question about the soup but Tamsin put her hand on Lauren's arm to stop her. Bo just patiently smiled and handled each of Evony's questions with a quiet grace that Lauren was finding more and more interesting the longer she spoke. The other thing she noticed was the more Bo answered Evony's questions the more annoyed the socialite seemed to get. It was as if her questioning was supposed to bother the server but the display of patience and courteousness only seemed to infuriate instead of impress. Evony that is. Lauren was impressed beyond belief and by the end of what she considered one of the longest meals of her life she found herself needing to have her own conversation with this Bo woman.

The night finally wound down and although the food was excellent the company left much to be desired and when Lauren wasn't letting her curiosity about the server cloud her head she found herself thinking how much Tamsin owed her for having to endure this torture. The bill finally came and Jonathan handled it like a gentleman before leading the three ladies outside into the crisp New York night air. Lauren wanted to pull Tamsin aside and let her have it for trying to set her up but she could tell her best friend wasn't ready for her date night to end. So, instead Lauren thanked Jonathan for dinner and barely said goodnight to Evony before promising to call Tamsin in the morning. Evony's driver showed up at that moment and the trio wished Lauren goodnight as they climbed into the Rolls Royce. Lauren couldn't hold back the eye roll at the flashy and gaudy car that Evony had and she shook her head as she took a deep breath letting the cold air sink in. She decided to walk around a little before heading home and soon found herself turning to walk down the street.

"Wait! Miss."

Bo was rushing out of the restaurant holding Tamsin's coat which had been hung up while they were eating their meal. Bo skidded to an awkward halt in front of Lauren looking around for the rest of the group. Breathlessly she gave Lauren a shy smile. "I'm sorry but I think your friend left her coat."

Lauren accepted it and nodded. "Thank you, I'm sure she'll be looking for it later. "

Bo laughed and nodded which surprisingly caught Lauren's attention and made her return a smile of her own. "Prada button down? Yeah I'd be searching all over for it as well. Anyway, glad I caught you so you can return it to her."

Lauren patted it lightly. "Thank you again, she will appreciate it."

The pair stood there sort of smiling at each other before Bo glanced at her watch. "Uh, I don't know if this is weird or not, but can I buy you a drink?"

For being the polished attorney Lauren was she found herself speechless at the simple request. Unfortunately though, Bo took this as rejection and felt a slight blush creep over her cheeks. "Uh right, sorry. It's ok forget I asked. Have a good night."

She turned to walk back into the restaurant when Lauren finally found her voice just in the nick of time. "Yes."

Bo stopped and looked back at her with a curious smile. "Yes what?"

Lauren motioned awkwardly between them. "Drink?"

She was mentally kicking herself for not being able to formulate a coherent thought and she was now certain Bo must be wondering if she was a complete weirdo. Bo being Bo however just smiled and winked. "Okay, drink it is. Let me just grab my own coat. It's not Prada but its functional. Give me about five minutes?"

Lauren nodded and Bo slipped back into the restaurant quickly. As soon as she was out of sight Lauren felt a slight panic creep up her neck and into her brain. She hadn't quite thought this all the way through and she had no idea how to handle herself on this...whatever this was. Lauren found herself wondering exactly what they would talk about then just as quickly she mentally kicked herself for being so snobbish. She felt like a fool as she realized they were just two people who were going to get a drink to get to know each other so it should be fine right?

"Okay, let's get you out of this cold."

Bo had reappeared at some point and Lauren was praying that she hadn't been mumbling to herself as she sometimes did. If she was acting strange Bo didn't seem to mind or care however as she led them down the busy street into the cool night air. It wasn't quite snow weather yet in Manhattan but Lauren knew it would be coming soon enough. She did her best to sneak glances at the woman walking next to her with a calm smile on her face and Lauren wondered if she should just stop them so she could give her a once over. It was a weird thing to do but when Lauren got nervous she lost the ability to act rationally which was just one of the many reasons she was so thankful she hardly ever got nervous.

"In here…"

Bo pushed open a door and Lauren glanced up wondering where they were. She realized they'd wandered off the main streets and had been walking down a quiet side street that she'd never heard of. There was no sign above the door and Lauren wondered how Bo knew where they were. Now normally Lauren wouldn't wander off with a stranger she'd just met and let them take her wherever they wanted but she found herself trusting Bo immediately and she was glad she did as she stepped out of the cold and into the little tavern.

Tavern? Who knew the bustling city of New York still had legitimate taverns.

Anyway, Bo removed her coat and helped Lauren with hers before taking the two coats and Tamsin's that Lauren had been holding and setting them down in a booth before motioning for Lauren to slide in. Bo took the seat across from her and gave her a warm smile as a young man approached the table holding a pitcher of beer and two glasses.

"Bo! It's been a while, I was starting to wonder if you forgot about us since you started working at that posh upper crust shithole."

Bo laughed loudly and shook her head and Lauren gave him a strange look before noticing his amused smile as he set the beer and glasses down on the table. He had obviously picked out that Lauren was a guest of the restaurant Bo worked at and was having fun at her expense. Ha frickin ha.

Lauren tried to smile but Bo stepped in before things got awkward immediately feeling Lauren's uncomfortableness at the situation. "Yeah well it's hard to forget you D man. Dyson, this is Lauren. Lauren, this is Dyson."

He gave her a mock bow and nodded. "Pleasure. It's not often Bo brings friends with her so please excuse the crassness m'lady."

Bo not so subtly kicked him as Lauren pursed her lips slightly not liking the vibes this Dyson person was giving off. However, being the professional she just nodded and gave him a small smile in return. "Nice to meet you Dyson."

Bo sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. "Okay introductions done now go away."

Dyson laughed and nodded as he patted the table before walking off and giving Bo a look that Lauren couldn't quite read. She returned the look and Lauren was certain they were having some kind of silent conversation, probably about her, so she just waited patiently until Bo turned back and took a small breath before giving her a bright smile. "Sorry about that. He's an old friend who likes to act like he's my keeper sometimes."

Lauren nodded knowing the type of friend Bo was describing. Tamsin was as close to that as she had in her life and it almost made her smile that Bo had someone like that in her life also. It was a good thing in her opinion as it showed he cared for her but Lauren had to wonder where that line of caring and perhaps romantic interest blended. Bo just cleared her throat a little as she poured them both a glass of beer and sipped hers quietly. Lauren took this opportunity to look around the small tavern and she felt a homey warmth that she hadn't felt in this cold city in a while and she couldn't help the goofy smile that graced her features.

"What?"

Bo was giving her a curious smile and Lauren blushed a little at the amusement in Bo's eyes. She motioned around them and shrugged. "This place. It's interesting."

Bo nodded and looked around at the small room with a smile. "It used to be my second home. When I moved to New York I didn't have anything and the owner kind of took me in. Gave me a job and a place to stay and now he can't get rid of me."

Lauren laughed and nodded. Honestly Lauren's living room in her penthouse apartment was probably bigger than this bar but she didn't care. It was quiet and cozy and quickly becoming somewhere she'd like to return to. She glanced over at the little bar area and gave Bo a cautious look as if she wasn't sure she could ask her questions. "Is Dyson the owner?"

Lauren wasn't sure what would make her feel better, if Bo said yes or if she said no but either way she was curious. Bo laughed heartily and Lauren found herself once again blushing at the reaction. Bo shook her head and gave Lauren a softer smile. "No, most definitely not."

Lauren nodded and sipped her beer slowly wondering what kind it was and hoping she didn't get sick since she's had beer maybe twice in her entire life. Lauren found herself wondering about what Bo's life was like before she moved to the city but she wasn't sure how to ask it without it sounding like an interrogation so she just smiled and let Bo lead the conversation.

"So, Lauren Lewis. Lawyer, owner of Lewis & Associates tell me about yourself."

Bo laughed at Lauren's shocked face and she put her hand up to silence the blonde who was giving her a cautious stare. "Relax Lauren, I overheard at the restaurant is all. It's quiet in there so you'd be surprised what kind of shit we hear on a daily basis."

Lauren nodded and gave Bo an apprehensive smile as she cleared her throat. "Well, what would you like to know?"

Bo looked thoughtful and Lauren could literally see her shuffling through questions in her head. Any concern that Lauren might have had about the brunette went out the window as she noticed how cute Bo was when she was concentrating. Finally Bo seemed to land on a suitable question and nodded. "Where are you from? Why New York? Why did you say yes to drinks?"

Lauren paused as she let the questions sink in and smiled as she sat back in the old worn out booth and played with her beer glass. "From California originally, New York because it was as far away from home I could get and honestly I'm not sure."

Bo nodded and paused before shrugging. "Well rest assured I'm not crazy."

Lauren smirked a little. "That remains to be seen."

Bo laughed and nodded. "Indeed counselor. So, what questions do you have for me? There must be a million."

Lauren looked thoughtful before looking at Bo with a smile. "Where are you from? Why New York? Why did you ask me out?"

Bo laughed again and Lauren felt herself relax at the easy way things seemed to flow between them. Bo took a sip of her beer and nodded her head. "From Ohio originally, New York because it's always been the dream and honestly I'm not sure."

The teasing smirk told Lauren that she was kidding and Lauren nodded her head in return. "Well rest assured I'm not crazy."

The pair shared a laugh and Bo nodded. "Somehow I believe that. So, counselor, you going to see the brunette again?"

Lauren looked confused and Bo shrugged slightly. "The one at dinner with you."

Lauren visibly shivered and shook her head no. "No. Most definitely not."

Bo laughed and nodded. "Then I know for certain you aren't crazy."

Lauren nodded and gave Bo a sad smile. "I'm sorry for the way she treated you."

Bo shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I've dealt with worse before and I'll deal with worse again. No harm done here."

Lauren sighed as she picked at the napkin in her hand. "It was rude. Period."

Bo laughed and shook her head. "To what, be demanding to the help? Relax Lauren. I don't take that kind of thing personally and you certainly should not be apologizing for that bitch. Seriously."

Lauren nodded sheepishly and gave her a small smile. She'd never met anyone with Bo's easygoing and unassuming personality. Everyone in Lauren's life had an agenda and kept careful count of who were their friends and who were their enemies and it almost made Lauren jealous to see Bo live so freely. She didn't have to worry about who she pissed off by the decisions she made and Lauren found herself envying that very much. "Okay. But next time you see her feel free to put her in her place."

Bo laughed and nodded. "Deal. So, now that you've seen my little slice of heaven would it be too much to ask if you'd like to go to dinner sometime? I mean I don't think I can afford anything like that place but I guarantee you a good time."

Lauren opened her mouth and shut it awkwardly as she looked at Bo curiously. Did Bo assume she was one of those girls who had to live a certain lifestyle? True, up til this point she had lived that certain lifestyle but maybe it was time for her to get past all the expectations and just do what she wanted to do for herself. She smiled and nodded and gave Bo a quiet smile. "I'd like that."

Bo nodded and gave her a big smile. "Great."

Lauren laughed and nodded. "Great."

The pair shared a smile and finished their beers as they chatted about everything and nothing all at once. Lauren found herself getting lost in the conversation and for the first time in a long time not caring about how much time went by or thinking about work or anything related to it. She was here, in the moment and finding herself having a great time with a woman who she met that night. Strange and out of character for her but she didn't care. She was doing this for her and she was going to enjoy it.