sam didn't consider herself a grinch by any means before tonight. sure, most christmases were spent working on briefs in between family dinners or catching flights from the city to her hometown, but she really did love the holiday. there really was nothing more like surprising her husband with some ugly tie clip and cufflink combo he asked for, or acting like her mother-in-law was a great cook. on second thought...the more she thought about it, the less enthused samantha got this time of year.
tonight just seemed to be the icing on the cake. clark's law firm was hosting a christmas party at a hotel downtown, a soiree that called for black ties and fancy champagne. that part, at least, samantha could get behind. hair curled and half up, emerald cocktail dress hugging her body, there was never an occasion like this that sam would pass up. the two had just arrived, arm in arm, and before the lawyers could even think about refreshments, clark raised a hand to wave at a close acquaintance somehow perfectly across the way.
phoenix. just the sight of her made sam's blood boil, though you would never be able to tell it on her face. keeping her cards to her chest was literally her career. her hand subtly tightened around clark's bicep, and although she tried to, she could not take her eyes off of her. the other woman was like a cold that sam couldn't shake - but clark was fond of phoenix, spoke warmly about her and praised her accomplishments whenever he could find a way to bring her up. it didn't help that she was tall, gorgeous, with eyes that could pierce you with how blue they were. all normal things for the other woman to take note of.
"chit-chat can wait until after cocktails, babe. no need to-" before she could finish her thought, sam was waving to her own colleagues that she recognized in the crowd, muttering to him through gritted teeth. her gaze remained on phoenix, even while clark pulled them both over to her. she had her own magnetic field, it seemed, and the married couple were (unfortunately for sam) drawn into it. a tight-lipped smile followed as they unwillingly approached. "hi, good evening."