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 knoweveryone.”
“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 theonlytimes we dated.”
“I don’t—” Olivia froze when the pieces clicked into place. “Wait. Helied?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 Winstockdidlook 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 whatever.
Winstock was surprisingly down-to-earth for someone with a ten-figure net worth, and if he hadn’t been a client, Olivia could see herself being friends with him.
Once Tamara left, Olivia resumed her and Jessica’s conversation. “Sammy used you to, what, make me jealous?”
Jessica fiddled with her earring. “You should talk to him about it. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” She frowned. “Martinis always get me in trouble.”
“I’ll talk to him about it, all right.” Olivia took a deep, steady breath. “Okay. Second question before I go home and commit a felony—how do you know Win—er, Ty?”