I tossed my phone on the bed and grabbed my favorite leather pants and lace blouse. It was black with three-quarter-length sleeves, and the top revealed just enough skin to show off a bit of cleavage.
The only other things I needed were the Dolce & Gabbana leather booties I’d found a week and a half ago in SoHo. They had been a secondhand purchase, and a splurge at that, but I loved them.
“Georgia?” Cassie called from the hall.
“Yeah?”
“What time are we meeting Kline?”
“Not until eight-ish. I figured we could have a little girl time beforehand.”
“Harry Potter shots at Barcelona?”
“I’m in.” The bar in question specialized in shots. One in particular came with fire and was famously known as the Harry Potter.
If you’ve never been to Barcelona Bar, add it to your bucket list. It’s not the bar you hang out in all night, but it’s definitely the place you stop by to get your night started off right.
My screen flashed with a text message notification.
Kline: 8pm at The Raines Law Room?
Holy hell. It was one of those bars that had a secret door, and if you don’t know somebody, no way you’re getting in. It was a very unlike Kline place to go.
Me: Uh…pretty sure I don’t have VIP access there.
Kline: Well, don’t worry, because I do.
Me: Kline flaunting his money around? Are you feeling okay?
Kline: Not flaunting. Just using it to our advantage. Anyway, Will was pretty persistent since he’s never been.
I should’ve known my brother was behind it. If Will had Kline’s money, he wouldn’t have any damn money left. Good thing Will would earn a nice salary as a physician and be too busy taking care of patients to spend it all. Where I was more frugal like our father, he was impulsive like our mother—a true American consumer who could easily be talked into buying a new car or plasma screen TV on a whim.
And I mean all of this in the most loving way.
Me: Okay. Count me in. Cass will be with me.
Kline: Perfect. Meet me there at 8. I’ll leave your names at the door.
Me: Okay, I’ll let Will know.
Kline: No need. He’s with me now.
Me: WHAT? Are you having a bromance with my brother?
Kline and Will had finally met over lunch last week in Gramercy Park. It had taken about one minute of introductions and they were quickly bonding over rugby, scotch, and awkward stories about yours truly. By the end of the meal, they had exchanged numbers and my brother had enthusiastically agreed to guest play for Kline’s rugby team the following weekend.
Kline: I had to find one somewhere. Walter certainly isn’t filling the position.
I smiled at his ongoing battle with his cat. Every day I witnessed or heard about something else.
Me: What are you accusing my best friend of now?
Kline: I’m not accusing him of anything. I recount the facts. I went to all the trouble of fixing him a fresh bowl of milk, in the dish he likes, mind you, and the grumpy bastard took one drink and spit it out in front of me.
Me: That’s probably because you should really be giving him water, not milk. He’s probably dehydrated.
Kline: You always take his side.
Another message came before I could send a sarcastic response.
Kline: Are you standing around in your bedroom naked?
Me: Don’t try to change the subject.
Kline: I’m not. I’m merely moving on to more important subjects.
I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror on my armoire, fully dressed and about five minutes away from being ready to walk out the door.
Me: Yes, dirty boy. I am very naked.
Kline: Liar.
Me: I’ll never tell.
Kline: I’ll tell you one thing, I’m going to take your panties off with my teeth tonight. I promise you that.
Well, shit. That had me wishing the night out was just a night in…in Kline’s bed, to be specific.
Kline: We’re still going out, Benny. Finish getting ready. We’ll revisit this conversation later.
Did he suddenly become a mind reader?
Me: In your bed, later?
Kline: My bed. My couch. The floor. Against the wall. Shower. When it comes to my version of later, the sky’s the limit.
Me: See you at 8. I’ll be the girl with red lips and sexy heels.
Kline: Tease.
Me: You know it, baby ;)
“Okay, you’ve got about thirty minutes to get ready. We’re supposed to meet Kline and Will at eight. That leaves us with about an hour to grab a drink at Barcelona,” I shouted from my room as I sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on my new shoes.
“Wait…Will is going to be there?” Her amused voice echoed down the hall.
Internally, I groaned, knowing full well where this was headed. “Yes, my brother will be there.”
“I’m definitely going with the dress, then! And sky-high stilettos!”
“I hope you break an ankle!”
“Me too! That way Will and I can play doctor and naughty patient!”
“You are not banging my brother, Cass! He is off-limits!”
“When you say bang…what exactly do you mean?”