Free Dimitri by Roxie Rivera Page A

who go to
clubs say. I try to innovate and come up with new ideas using that
research. I knew that once Yuri Novakovsky opened his new place
that 716 was really going to have to up its game to keep traffic
flowing through the front door. Guess what the jackass Harry
did?"
    I winced. "Stole your ideas?"
    "Yep." Anger laced her voice. "And
he didn't just steal them and present them as his own. No, no, no.
He gave them to
the team at that Russian's new club so he could get a job. So now
my club is getting spanked and I'm getting threatened with losing
my job if I don't turn things around like this fast." She snapped
her fingers. "And on a shoestring budget, of course. How they
expect me to compete with that Russian and his endless pockets I
will never understand!"
    I felt awful for her. It seemed like an
untenable situation. "What are you going to do?"
    "I don’t know." She sounded so conflicted. "On
one hand, I really enjoy the firm. I feel like I've learned so much
there and I had a great mentor until she moved to Atlanta. Lately,
I feel like I'm floundering though. I'm not growing. I
feel…stagnant."
    "So make a change," I counseled. "Why not
strike out on your own? Or maybe do something on a smaller scale.
You have a huge advantage with your social media presence and your
contacts and your network."
    "It's something I've been thinking about," she
admitted. "There are a handful of us at the firm and a rival place
that are on the same wavelength. We're young. We're tech savvy.
We're comfortable taking some risks. The idea of forming our own
group has been floated but it's a big, complicated step, you
know?"
    "Oh, I know."
    With a snort of derision, she said, "Can you
believe that Russian jerk tried to headhunt me after he fucked me
over like that?"
    "Who? Yuri?"
    Lena nodded. "Hell yeah. He had one of his
drivers waiting for me when I came out of work on Monday. I'd never
ridden in a car like that so I thought screw it. I met him at his
skyscraper downtown. He offered me a nice salary and benefits
package but the contract had some clauses in it that didn't sit
well with me. I'm not that naïve!"
    "I can't believe he would offer you a job after
stealing your ideas."
    "Right?" Her lips settled into a tight line.
"Fool me once, you know?"
    "So you told him no?"
    "Hell yes! And then you know what he did? He
came onto me and asked me out to his yacht for the weekend. Who
does that? I mean, did he want to hire me because he respects my
work or because he thinks I have a hot ass? How you can work for
someone like that?" She shook her head. "It felt so grimy. I told
him off and got out of there. I'm not stupid enough to be the next
PR girl who ends up flat on her ass without a job after Yuri has
had me flat on my back."
    "Wow! Lena, this is like the plot to a soap
opera!"
    "Between you, me, Erin and Vivi, we could write
one hell of a screenplay!" She checked her watch and frowned. "I
have a meeting in twenty minutes. I should hit the road." She
tapped the folders she'd brought me. "Remember about the delivery
coming later, okay? There's a map of the fairgrounds in here. It
should be easy to find your spot in the morning."
    "I'll be there, bright-eyed and bushy
tailed."
    Lena slid her purse onto one shoulder and
grasped the handle of her satchel. She eyed me critically. "Wear
something a bit flirty, okay? No jeans." With a teasing smirk, she
suggested, "Let Dimitri pick something out for you. I'm sure he
knows what looks smoking hot on you."
    I groaned and denied my desire to flip her off
for teasing me so badly. Laughing, I said, "Get out!"
    She snickered and headed for the door. "Eight
o'clock, remember? We'll be waiting for you!"
    I waved and watched her disappear around the
corner of the building. I didn't immediately get up and return to
the kitchen. No, I sat there and watched the lunch time hustle and
bustle.
    The bakery and the small café in the front room
were a meeting point for so many people in the neighborhood. The
bus