lime.
Colby slapped a twenty on the bar.
“You know drinks are free, right?” Dorian said.
The bartender leered at him.
“For the fast service.” Colby shot the first drink back in one long gulp.
“Please, can we talk?”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Colby shook her head, and a lock of reddish-gold hair fell from the twist, settling along her jawline. “This isn’t the time or place.”
“Then when?” Dorian set his hand on her forearm, and she pulled away, just as Noreen swept in from the other side of the bar.
“There you are.” Noreen handed Dorian a gin and tonic, her hand lingering a long moment on his.
Colby flashed her daggers and recovered with an obviously fake smile. She chugged her second drink and ordered a third.
Dorian set his drink on the bar and turned to Noreen. “Think you can give me a minute?”
“A minute for what ?”
Dorian could tell Noreen had no intention of leaving regardless of his answer.
“Excuse me.” Colby stepped away from the bar, but she hadn’t made it two steps before running into Jared.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said.
“There’s a lot of that going around,” Dorian said. As if Noreen weren’t enough interference, Jared all but sealed his fate.
Colby smiled, enjoying the benefit of her two stiff drinks. “I was just coming to find you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really .”
“How many does that make?” Jared pointed at Colby’s drink with a look of heavy suspicion.
“Two. Why? Does it matter?”
It wasn’t hard to see why Colby cheated. Jared treated her like an unwelcome child. Dorian couldn’t imagine why she stayed.
Jared adjusted his bow tie and ordered a glass of cabernet. “It’s been less than a half hour,” he said condescendingly. “Maybe you should slow down.”
“For you? Anything .”
Dorian knew if he didn’t step in, Colby would leave in a cab if she had to. He took a long sip of his gin and clapped his hand on Jared’s shoulder. “Jared, how are you?”
“Better than you, I’d imagine. Must be nerve-racking, worrying about the Stephanie Martin news getting out on a night like tonight. How does it feel to be such a failure?”
“Jared, stop it.” Colby’s eyes went wide.
“Ah-ah-ah.” Mitchell appeared behind them, wagging his finger. “We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. Take the night off, would you?” he said to Jared. “Dorian, may I speak with you a minute, in private?”
“Excuse me.” Dorian followed Mitchell to the outskirts of the ballroom, his heart lodged firmly in his throat and his eyes fixed on Colby.
“What the hell did I just walk into?” Mitchell said. Dorian couldn’t decide if he was being rhetorical. He started to answer, and Mitchell held his hand up. “You know what? I don’t even care. I don’t want her name brought up again tonight.”
Dorian stared off into the distance.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mitchell said.
“Yeah, I’m listening. It wasn’t me who brought her up.”
Mitchell checked his watch. “I don’t care who it was. Don’t let it happen again. You’re on in thirty minutes, so get your head together.” He snatched Dorian’s drink from his hand. “I don’t want you even thinking about Stephanie Martin right now. I’ve got three people looking to make large donations and two more considering it. You’re going to talk this transplant procedure up as if you’ve answered the highest calling in the world, you hear me?” Dorian nodded. “And tell a cute story or something. People love stories about babies.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Colby teetered on her stilettos and stumbled into the ladies’ lounge.
“Anything else?” Dorian asked.
Mitchell followed his sight line and shook his head. “Yeah, stay out of trouble.”
Dorian smirked, checked on Jared and Noreen’s positions, and finding them both embroiled in conversation, slipped through the crowd toward Colby. He pushed the ladies’ room door and
Colby slapped a twenty on the bar.
“You know drinks are free, right?” Dorian said.
The bartender leered at him.
“For the fast service.” Colby shot the first drink back in one long gulp.
“Please, can we talk?”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Colby shook her head, and a lock of reddish-gold hair fell from the twist, settling along her jawline. “This isn’t the time or place.”
“Then when?” Dorian set his hand on her forearm, and she pulled away, just as Noreen swept in from the other side of the bar.
“There you are.” Noreen handed Dorian a gin and tonic, her hand lingering a long moment on his.
Colby flashed her daggers and recovered with an obviously fake smile. She chugged her second drink and ordered a third.
Dorian set his drink on the bar and turned to Noreen. “Think you can give me a minute?”
“A minute for what ?”
Dorian could tell Noreen had no intention of leaving regardless of his answer.
“Excuse me.” Colby stepped away from the bar, but she hadn’t made it two steps before running into Jared.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said.
“There’s a lot of that going around,” Dorian said. As if Noreen weren’t enough interference, Jared all but sealed his fate.
Colby smiled, enjoying the benefit of her two stiff drinks. “I was just coming to find you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really .”
“How many does that make?” Jared pointed at Colby’s drink with a look of heavy suspicion.
“Two. Why? Does it matter?”
It wasn’t hard to see why Colby cheated. Jared treated her like an unwelcome child. Dorian couldn’t imagine why she stayed.
Jared adjusted his bow tie and ordered a glass of cabernet. “It’s been less than a half hour,” he said condescendingly. “Maybe you should slow down.”
“For you? Anything .”
Dorian knew if he didn’t step in, Colby would leave in a cab if she had to. He took a long sip of his gin and clapped his hand on Jared’s shoulder. “Jared, how are you?”
“Better than you, I’d imagine. Must be nerve-racking, worrying about the Stephanie Martin news getting out on a night like tonight. How does it feel to be such a failure?”
“Jared, stop it.” Colby’s eyes went wide.
“Ah-ah-ah.” Mitchell appeared behind them, wagging his finger. “We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. Take the night off, would you?” he said to Jared. “Dorian, may I speak with you a minute, in private?”
“Excuse me.” Dorian followed Mitchell to the outskirts of the ballroom, his heart lodged firmly in his throat and his eyes fixed on Colby.
“What the hell did I just walk into?” Mitchell said. Dorian couldn’t decide if he was being rhetorical. He started to answer, and Mitchell held his hand up. “You know what? I don’t even care. I don’t want her name brought up again tonight.”
Dorian stared off into the distance.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mitchell said.
“Yeah, I’m listening. It wasn’t me who brought her up.”
Mitchell checked his watch. “I don’t care who it was. Don’t let it happen again. You’re on in thirty minutes, so get your head together.” He snatched Dorian’s drink from his hand. “I don’t want you even thinking about Stephanie Martin right now. I’ve got three people looking to make large donations and two more considering it. You’re going to talk this transplant procedure up as if you’ve answered the highest calling in the world, you hear me?” Dorian nodded. “And tell a cute story or something. People love stories about babies.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Colby teetered on her stilettos and stumbled into the ladies’ lounge.
“Anything else?” Dorian asked.
Mitchell followed his sight line and shook his head. “Yeah, stay out of trouble.”
Dorian smirked, checked on Jared and Noreen’s positions, and finding them both embroiled in conversation, slipped through the crowd toward Colby. He pushed the ladies’ room door and
Similar Books
