of the day.
Ten minutes later, she got her answer.
A beautiful blonde sauntered into the bar, looking like a model in her red pea coat and heels. “Hi, babe.” She dropped a kiss on Tamara’s lips.
Olivia spewed her drink on the table, earning her several strange looks.
“Sorry,” she choked out.
The blonde glanced up. Shock filled her perfect features. “Olivia?”
“Jessica.”
The two of them stared at each other, too stunned to say anything else.
Holy hell, Tamara’s girlfriend was Sammy’s ex? That was a development Olivia couldn’t have dreamed of in her wildest dreams. Did that mean Jessica was bi? Or was she a newly come out lesbian? Did Sammy know?
Tamara’s gaze ping-ponged between them, bright with curiosity. “You know each other?”
Jessica recovered first. “We have a mutual friend.”
That’s one way to put it.
“Speaking of friends, this is Ty. Ty, this is everyone.” Jessica gestured to the man who came up behind her.
Aaaannnd Olivia spewed her drink for the second time that night, because Ty was none other than Ty freakin’ Winstock.
She couldn’t believe it. She was at happy hour with her boyfriend’s ex, her company’s biggest client, and her erotica book club.
This had to be a nightmare.
Winstock’s mouth twitched. “Hello, Olivia.”
Now Jessica was the surprised one. “You’ve met?”
“I signed on with her firm as a client.” Winstock—Olivia still couldn’t bring herself to think of him as “Ty”—sat next to Kat, who turned bright red and scooted a few inches away from him. His eyes shone with amusement. “Olivia made quite the pitch.”
Donna leaned over and whispered in Olivia’s ear. “Damn, girl. For someone new to the city, you know everyone.”
“Not really. It just so happens everyone I know came to the same bar tonight.” Olivia half-expected Sammy to come strolling in the door, but he was having a guys’ night with Aaron and Trey.
The initial furor over the cockroach-in-a-cupcake claim had died down somewhat—now everyone was focused on the news that a huge fast-food chain’s CEO had been in a relationship with one of his employees for a year, against company rules—but the problem hadn’t gone away. Sammy and his team still didn’t know how the cockroach had gotten into the cupcake or if the anonymous Twitter user was lying. Still, the lessened media scrutiny gave them some breathing room to relax and focus on getting to the bottom of what had happened.
As the night wore on, the initial awkwardness from seeing Jessica and Winstock faded, but Olivia burned with questions. She finally got her chance to ask them when Donna and Natalie excused themselves to go to the restroom, Kat and Winstock went to grab fresh drinks, and Tamara—whom Jessica apparently called “Mara”—stepped outside for an emergency client call, leaving Olivia and Jessica alone.
“Yes, I’m a lesbian. I’ve been out since I was fifteen, and I’ve been dating Mara for over a year.” Jessica’s lips curved at Olivia’s mortified expression. “Sorry that came out so direct, but I can tell you’ve been dying to ask me all night, so I figured I’d save you the trouble.”
“Since you were fifteen? But...” Olivia faltered. “You dated Sammy.”
“Would you believe me if I said he’s such a great guy I made an exception for him?” Jessica burst into laughter. “Kidding. You should’ve seen your face. He is a great guy, but he and I never, uh, officially dated.”
“What?” Olivia’s brows furrowed. “He introduced you as his girlfriend in New York. He took you to Farrah’s wedding!”
Now Jessica was the one who looked embarrassed. “Yes, well, those were special circumstances.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
The blonde shifted in her seat. “It means, those were the only times we dated.”
“I don’t—” Olivia froze when the pieces clicked into place. “Wait. He lied? He used you to—"
Tamara returned, interrupting her train of thought. “What’s going on?” Her eyes moved from Jessica’s sheepish expression to Olivia’s outraged one.
“Nothing. Except I might commit murder tonight,” Olivia muttered.
“What?”
“Babe, can you order me a drink?” Jessica placed a hand on Tamara’s arm. “Another apple martini would be great.”
Tamara made a face. “I can take a hint. Be right back—hopefully, I won’t interrupt Kat and Ty’s little love fest.”
Hmm. Kat and Winstock did look cozy at the bar. They both carried fresh drinks but didn’t seem in any hurry to return to the group. They’d been semi-flirting all night—or rather, Winstock had been flirting with Kat while she blushed like crazy, until she’d found out he was also a history buff. After that, they couldn’t stop talking about the Ottomans and Byzantines or