The Last Martini

Ellie sat at the edge of the infinity pool, legs dangling in water that felt too perfect, too blue to be real. Palm fronds whispered above her, casting shadows that didn't quite match the angle of the sun. She was running late—or perhaps just running away. The distinction blurred after three martinis.

"You're going to miss him," the woman said, sliding onto the chaise beside her. Ellie didn't turn. She knew that voice. Everyone knew Victoria's voice, husky from too many cigarettes and not enough shame.

"He's not coming, Vic. He hasn't come in three years."

A stray cat wound through the lounge chairs, black as the things they'd both done. It regarded them with yellow eyes before selecting Victoria's discarded heels as a bed. Victoria laughed, a sharp bright sound.

"Still stubborn. I always loved that about you. Even when you were sleeping with my husband."

"I wasn't—" Ellie stopped. What was the point? The pool shimmered below them, reflecting lights that wouldn't flicker on for hours. Somewhere in those rooms, men were making decisions that would ruin lives. Victoria's husband among them, probably.

"The pool," Victoria said, gesturing with her glass. "They found the junior partner floating there last winter. Said he slipped. Everyone knows he slipped—but nobody knows what made him slip."

The cat yawned, showing teeth too sharp for something so small. Ellie remembered junior partner Miller's face, how he'd looked at her that last Christmas party. Like she was something he couldn't afford but desperately wanted to taste.

"I have something on you, Vic," Ellie said finally. "The files from Miller's office before they disappeared. The ones about the offshore accounts."

Victoria's smile didn't waver. She held out her hand, palm up—expecting, not requesting.

"Give them here, darling. And we'll both sleep tonight."

The cat chose that moment to knock over Victoria's drink. Glass shattered. Amber liquid spread across the concrete like something that had been waiting to spill for a very long time. Ellie stood up, her reflection in the pool looking like someone she'd almost recognized once.

"Some things," she said, "should stay broken."