“Okay, yes. It’ll be late, but we can discuss it then.”
I scrolled through my messages while Baldwin finished up his conversation. A text had come in from Drew about ten minutes ago.
Drew: On way back. You still at the office? Have to write a motion when I get back, going to be a long night for me. Ordering Chinese for delivery. You want something?
I started to text back and then stopped when Baldwin hung up and asked, “You ready?”
“Sure.” I picked up my new purse and went to the closet to get my coat. Baldwin—always the gentleman—took my coat and stood behind me to help put it on. “You have to work after dinner?”
“Hmmm?”
“The phone call. I overheard you say you would talk to someone later.”
“Oh. That was Rachel. We both have work events this weekend, and she wants me to attend hers with her after mine. I told her I’d discuss it when I get there later this evening.”
The little bubble of anger that had been threatening finally broke inside of me. Oddly, I wasn’t really angry at Baldwin. I was pissed at myself. I turned to face him.
“You know what? I’m sorry to do this last minute, but I’ve had a headache all day, and it’s just getting worse. I’m afraid I won’t be very good company tonight.”
Baldwin was taken aback, his brow furrowed. “You don’t want to go to dinner?”
“Not tonight. I’m sorry. Can I take a rain check?” I hadn’t intended to, but I realized immediately after I said it that Baldwin had used the same phrase on me when he canceled last night. Can I take a rain check?
After he left, I remembered I hadn’t sent Drew the text I’d began typing out. My finger hovered over the I’m already gone, but thank you for asking message until it started to erase the words.
Screw it.
I typed something without allowing myself to rethink it.
Emerie: I’ll take a moo shu pork.
Drew
“Looks like I picked the wrong day to be out of the office.”
Emerie had slipped off her coat, revealing a slinky little black dress. She smiled. Damn. I’d spent the cab ride home last night convincing myself that kiss was for her own good. I was helping her. It wasn’t because she was beautiful and smart and couldn’t play pool for shit, yet didn’t complain once when I brought her to a pool hall. It was because Professor Putz needed a little incentive to make his move. I’d almost convinced myself, too.
But it had been eating at me all day. What if I’d spurred the dope to finally act and then primed the pump for him, too? Emerie had melted into me with that kiss. I felt her body surrender, heard that little sound she made, and knew she felt it like I did. The engine was all fired up and ready to run. For that fucker.
My deposition should have wrapped in four hours today. Yet it took me almost twice that because of my lack of focus. Then tonight, I called Yvette and canceled the date we’d made a month ago. Yvette, the flight attendant who didn’t want a commitment and hummed a sweet tune while she gave a blowjob. The woman was bachelor gold.
“I was supposed to go out and had a change of plans,” Emerie said.
I nodded. “Come eat. Your moo shu is getting cold.”
She sat in one of the guest chairs on the opposite side of the desk. “This looks like a lot of food. Is someone else joining us?”
“You took a while to respond, so I ordered some extra stuff in case you were still here. Wasn’t sure if you liked chicken, beef, or shrimp, so I got one of each. Guy on the phone barely spoke English. When I called back to add your pork, I figured it was easier to just add to the order than try to change it.” I slid a takeout container across the desk to her. “No plates. No forks. Hope you can eat with chopsticks.”
“I sort of suck at chopsticks.”
I thumbed toward the ceiling. “You can go upstairs and get a fork from my place, if you want. But I haven’t eaten since six a.m., so you’re on your own with that.”
She smiled and ripped the paper off the chopsticks. “I’ll deal. But no making fun of me.”
It wasn’t an easy task. The woman had two left chopsticks. She dropped more than she got into her mouth. But the two of us quickly established an unspoken system. Every time she dropped a piece of pork on the way to her lips, I’d smirk, and she’d squint at me. It was as much fun as tossing insults her way, but half the effort.
“So what happened with Professor Putz last night?”
She sighed and sat back in her chair. “Nothing. He asked me to go out to dinner tonight to make up for canceling on me last night.”
I froze with my chopsticks halfway to my mouth. “He bailed on you again tonight?”
“Not this time. I actually bailed on him.”
I shoved a shrimp in my mouth. “Nice. Getting even. How’d it feel?”
A smile spread across her beautiful face. “Pretty damn good, actually.”