lawyer up

lola was about to roll her eyes at him when he leaned down and whispered in her ear. it was hardly the first time she'd ever been so close to atticus bass but it still send shivers up her spine. they could have been the only two people in the room right now... but they weren't. her breath caught in her throat and she felt like her brain had like, totally short circuited. "you-...," she breathed at last, pulling back the teeniest bit from him, her hand settling on his chest- "are so bad."

atticus bass had a number of vices - smoking, drinking, sex, occasionally less than legal substances...and lola mercado. they lived in the grey area of whatever it was they were. the problem with lola was that whenever she was around atticus didn't care about what was going on around him and that was part of the problem. she was a distraction and it left her open. "and who encourages it?" he stated, her hand feeling like it was burning through his chest.

"I agree, and the sooner I can get out of helping him and back to my actual job at Donovan's." She nodded her head. "Sounds good. I will tell him to expect you." She sent her father a text with the time; she didn't need to give him more details. "Not that he has many options right now, but I think it's a fair deal."

favours were far more useful bargaining chips than money. they all had money, mountains of it to be exact. if hoarding wealth was a crime half of the upper east side would be in jail. "i'll book it in my calendar" he nodded, doing just that while they were talking. "i'm not in the business of giving options" it's was no skin off his back if he didn't take the help that his daughter had gone out of her way to get "i'll see him then and i expect you to be in the room. your father doesn't get to claim credit for your work"

"they don't? aww, how sad. i'm a fan of floating, you should try it, you might like it." he was always so serious. he should live a little. "and you're still the human halloween decoration you've always been. do you still make kids cry when they see how tall you are? remember that one that thought you were slenderman?"

"i don't have the luxury unlike you" he had the weight of his families empire on his shoulders and here she was swanning around picking her prettiest waiter of the evening. their lives weren't the same "sometimes...it depends on if the child annoys me or not. as far as he should be concerned i am slenderman and he should keep the fuck out of my way. this is why i don't do the whole bring your kid to work day"

william did not particularly enjoy being read like a book, especially not by the likes of atticus bass. he had to swallow back much of his pride the last few weeks as he decided to seal his fate. this was just one more stop on his journey where the ends had to justify the means. he let atticus ask his questions even though he already knew the answers. watched as he inspected the usb on the table and knew that despite his personal feelings, he would get the job done. "yes, it's personal." it was always personal, wasn't it? "i have a plan and i intend to see it through no matter what happens-," he started, squaring his shoulders back- "no matter what happens to me. if it doesn't work, then someone else has to finish the job. i think you're more than capable of that, don't you?"

as much as william was a pain in the ass, he was willingly here giving information over that very well could solve a lot of people's problems. atticua heard out this reasoning and he wasn't wrong. contingencies always needed to be in place for plan. he picked up the usb and tucked it away in his suit jacket. "if at any point you turn your back on this plan of yours, you need to let me know" he would inspect the usb when he returned to his home, but he knew if william was willing to hand this over then it had damning information on it. "do you plan on filling anyone in on your plan? and is there anyone i should keep a watchful eye on? i assume you'll want certain people you care about protected"

atticus held onto her tightly, whispering words of reassurance that he had her. he had her. she was safe here and he would personally see to it that if anyone tried anything, it would be their last. he could see it on her face the moment he saw her. that real, genuine fear. he hated that it stole a part of her innocence.

"i am nothing if not a professional, atticus. besides, if any of us are crossing the line with our client... it's nick." it was beyond nick, but for someone who didn't usually take anything seriously, he had done a good job. lili would bet it didn't feel like work at all for him though. she nodded at his concerns. "i know exactly what you mean. everything about this has been personal and petty. it's about revenge. i doubt that he's going to let up without trying to hurt her."

"nick has long passed that line. passed it so long ago that the line doesn't exist anymore, not that gabriela is much better" as much as nick's method of keeping gabriela safe was unconventional in a security front, he was somehow succeeding at keeping her safe. atticus couldn't complain about that part. the antics on the other hand were ridiculous and he would absolutely complain about that, like the time he was on a call with gabriela and was an unwilling participant in their shenanigans. they couldn't keep their hands off each other and they have the audacity to act like they can and they're being subtle. "he's not going to let up anytime soon. if anything he's only going to escalate" atticus reached into his pocket and pulled out some painkillers for the headache this whole situation was giving him. taking two and washing them down with his drink, he sighed "he's come this far, there's no turning back. cyber attacks isn't enough, there's no stakes there other than financial. he wants this to hurt, it's the only way any of the elite will take his threats seriously."

"boo, you're such a grump. this is why people are afraid to talk to you, you know. what's that line again? 'all work and no play makes jack a very dull boy' you're giving jack torrance pre-axe, atticus. it's not a vibe. i would've hoped that lola would've lightened you up by now"

"not everyone gets to float through life, roni" there were responsibilities and obligations to carry out "i would've hoped you would've matured by now but you're still the brat you've always been"

it had been a while since they had crossed paths, a long while since they were potentially crossing paths on a rooftop. he had been immersed in work and anything remotely social had been work events that involved him being in a crowded room and bombarded with questions from people he didn't give a shit about. "pleading the fifth are we?" he asked with a smirk that made a rare appearance on his features. atticus watched her turning away like she was forbidden fruit "i suppose i can stop by, it would be rude of me not to chaperone"

atticus bass was hot, there was no denying that. sharp in a suit, rich, powerful aura, towered over everyone in height...hot with a capital h.

"i have no desire or intention to window shop, roni. i'm here for the gallery and networking, that's it. go window shop to your hearts content, i just don't need to hear about it"

roni wasn't an art lover by any means, and she couldn't tell you a painter from a poet but she appreciated pretty things like paintings, handbags, jewllery...people "that one's pretty" she announced to the person she was talking with, pointing to one of the waiters

networking was something atticus begrudgingly took part in. that being said, attending jamie park's event with the celebrity one percent did have it's benefits - the current conversation was not one of them

Adriana had hoped he would say yes. Her father's company definitely needed the help. And if he didn't agree to help, she knew the job would fall to her. "So far, just the company, luckily. But the trust is definitely kind of broken with the clients." She definitely wanted to help him get paid what he deserves. "Thank you, and consider this a favor. You can name your price, and he will pay."

he wasn't normally a charitable guy unless there was a corporate tax benefit that came with it, but it was as he said, a favour to her. "the sooner we get it fixed the better, you don't want a hit and then lose additional revenue over it." atticus pulled out his phone and scrolled through his calendar "i can do tomorrow afternoon, four thirty" the time wasn't up for discussion, he had his own matters to attend to "it's a favour, adriana. i'm not going to take payment. your father will owe me a no questions asked favour and i'll collect it one day. deal?"

nicky. atticus must have been kicking himself for letting that slip out. for once, nick managed to keep his pretty mouth shut long enough for them to make it across the bar. he'd remember that one, though. when nick might have avoided atticus bass at every turn before, he now found himself seeking him out. like a moth to the flame. perhaps he wasn't being quite as clever as he thought he was.

he knew that nickname would come back to bite him on the ass at some point, maybe not now, but soon. he knew nick well enough to know that. he knew nick well enough that if there was a place they both happened to be at the same time, that they would eventually be talking. atticus found that didn't hate that thought as much as he normally would.

"Think you got the short end of the stick there." It was honestly giving Tripp heart palpitations watching him; he was one stern look from his grandfather away from being exactly like him. "Chuck doesn't deserve all the fun. I understand not trusting him with the paperwork, but maybe a silenced phone for an hour would do you some good."

"in what way, yeah i might be picking up the work but i have majority ownership of bass industries. one of those things doesn't come without the other." he shrugged, fingers still typing like their lives depended on it. "chuck has all the fun because i allow him to, don't get it twisted. or maybe a silenced phone would spike my heart rate so high that i pass out, we can't be sure of these things. besides i have personal things to deal with as well as work"

"and they are always awfully sweet, bass." nick had admittedly grown fonder and fonder of atticus. whether it was the thrill of the chase or the thought of what one might be hiding under that three piece suit... who could say? "trouble and i are old friends, it's nothing i can't handle. favourite conference room, it's often been where the magic happens - legally speaking, of course. sturdy table, too."

"you keep me out of those" he warned. lord only knows what antics went on in nick vanderbilt's head while he was unconscious, and he wanted no part of it. then again, when i came to nick, what you wanted and what you got were likely two different things. "unfortunately, that i do believe of you." atticus shot him an unimpressed look "do you do this shit to piss me off?"

"i was given plenty of chances as well, atticus. i didn't always learn my lesson either until it finally stuck. you have to keep that in mind" she countered "you can't give up on him. he deserves us to support him, even if he can be an ass at times"

she had a point, as much as it pained him to admit that. the difference between serena and chuck was that serena learned her lessons, might've been later than intended but she got it. chuck on the other hand had no current intentions of doing that "you wanted to change, he's not there yet if at all intending to be there. the bar is on the floor serena and he limbo dances under it. i'm not a patient man and chuck is not a serious one. i've carried him our whole lives, it's time he grows up."