think we’ve got a great start.” Daisy is on her feet.
“How soon can we make it happen?” Miles stands as well, and they’re eye to eye.
“Two weeks?” She glances to her cousin. “What do you think, Sly? Will that give you enough time?”
“I think so.” Joselyn is still distracted.
Daisy glances to Miles, “Yes?”
He’s beaming. “I’ll send invitations as soon as you verify the venue.”
“I’ll make some calls on the drive home.” Daisy lifts a small leather bag off her chair. “Now I’ve got to hit the road. I’ve got a husband to feed.”
The pituitary case.
“Is it after five already?” Miles takes her arm, and they’re like a tiny power duo. “I’ve got a date with my Netflix. I just started the Cecil Hotel doc. Very nice to meet you, Miss Winthrop.”
They head for the door, and I wait as Joselyn collects a small clutch, which I assume holds her phone. “She was always his favorite,” I tease, as if I care Miles prefers Daisy.
“She’s a pixie.” Joselyn picks up the empty bottles, placing them in the trash.
“You don’t have to clean. Maintenance will take care of it.”
Her cheeks flush, and she shakes her head. “I’m used to doing all the jobs.”
“Daisy told me you’re self-employed.”
“Trying to be. I recently had a change in circumstance.”
“You fired yourself?” I place a hand on the open doors of the elevator, holding them for her.
“What?” She blinks up at me, then realizes I’m joking. “Oh, no. Just… personal stuff.”
I’m intrigued, and I can’t let her go. “It’s after five on a Friday. Let me buy you a drink.”
The elevator dings when we reach the bottom floor, and she hesitates. “I shouldn’t.”
“Still with the boyfriend?” If she says yes…
She doesn’t answer immediately, and her eyes flinch with something like anger.
Daisy pops back into the foyer. “Sly, you coming?”
“I’ll drop her where she needs to go.” I glance at Joselyn. “If that’s okay?”
She wavers a bit longer before giving a short answer. “Sure.”
An edge is in her voice, and I finally catch a glimpse of my feisty redhead.
Her cousin skips over and gives me a hug. “Night, Spence.” She turns to Joselyn and kisses her cheek. “I’ll call you.”
Daisy and Miles are gone, and I’m still waiting to see what Joselyn will say. She glances up at me and presses her lips into a decided smile. “No boyfriend.”
“In that case, I know where to get the best martini in town.”
“Lead the way.”
With pleasure.
* * *
“So what makes this the best martini in town?” Sly’s jacket is off, and her hair is soft over her broad shoulders.
She’s gorgeous, perched on a leather barstool in Nightcaps with that silk blouse giving me a teasing glimpse of her lace bra underneath.
Standing in front of her, I pass one of the two cone-shaped cocktail glasses to her. “For starters, they’re ice cold.” She takes the drink in both hands and gives it a little sip. Her eyebrows rise as I continue. “They use the precise amount of vermouth, and just a dash of olive juice.”
She takes another, bigger gulp, blue eyes wide. “Mm—I agree.”
Tilting her head back, she polishes off the entire thing then lifts the toothpick and pops the green olive in her mouth, chewing like it’s a piece of gum. “You’re right. That was a damn good martini.”
I almost laugh, but I narrow my eyes instead. “You’re supposed to savor it.”
“Can I have another?” Her eyes dance. “To savor?”
“Are you used to shooting straight vodka?”
“No.”
“I’ll get you another one, but only if you sip it this time.”
“I told you, I don’t like being bossed around.” The fire in her eyes heats my already simmering blood.
Stepping closer, I slide my hand along her narrow waist. “I don’t want you drunk tonight.”
She considers this before nodding. “Okay.”
Signaling the waitress, I order another then turn to study the creamy skin of her neck leading down to the luscious curve of her full breast taunting me from the V in her shirt. God, she’s gorgeous. I want to spend the night getting to know her so much better.
But first… “What happened to the boyfriend?”
Her eyes follow the olive as she traces it around the edge of her glass. “We broke up.”
“Good. He didn’t deserve you.”
A gorgeous smile spreads her full lips, and she shakes her head. “You never even saw him.”
“But I saw you. Any man who would leave you alone looking the way you did is a fucking idiot.”
She snorts into her glass, taking another small sip. “Fucking Elliot.”
“I rest my