When I finished, we entered sibling mode to catch up. I gave him more detail about my presentation in Los Angeles, and he let me know that he discovered his most recent girlfriend was stealing from him.
I winced.
He didn’t seem distraught, but I could see it bothered him. "I need to learn that women only want me for my money."
I shook my head. "What you need to do is stop picking up women at casinos. Most of those women only want to find a sugar daddy." He did have horrible luck in choosing women.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, Amelia, but we’re in Las Vegas. Where else would I find a woman?"
I nearly told him to go to the airport. Perhaps there was a woman there like Max.
He shrugged it off. "Her leaving means I'm free this evening. Do you want to meet me for drinks?"
I shook my head, unable to stop grinning and hoping that the warmth in my cheeks didn’t mean I was blushing. "I've got a date. And by date, I mean a hot date."
My brother's eyes lit up. Most of the world saw my brother as serious, bordering on grumpy, but with me, he was different. Ever since we were little and figured out that our parents didn't have much interest in us, my mother even less so once she left my dad and went off to who knows where, my brother and I had stuck together.
"And who is this guy? Is it serious?"
I shook my head. "It's not serious. He's in town on business and will be leaving tomorrow."
"You know I support you, little sis, but big brothers don't like hearing about their little sisters hooking up."
I shrugged. "That's a double standard. I thought you were more enlightened than that, James."
James’s secretary poked her head in the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Dunsmore. I’m heading down to take these drafts to the printer.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Curtis.”
“I thought she was retiring,” I said when she left.
“Next year. I don't know what I’ll do. Don’t tell anyone, but I think she really runs the show.”
I laughed. “You have a year to learn the ropes.”
He smiled. “Enough about Mrs. Curtis. Tell me, why are you so excited about this date tonight if it's just a one-time thing?"
I looked down at my coffee, trying to figure out how to articulate what it was like being with Max. “It's hard to explain. I mean, of course, he's really good-looking. And smart and successful. He’s just fun to hang out with. I don't know, I guess we just clicked."
My brother cocked his head to the side. "So tonight won't be the first night, I take it?"
"No. But it will be the last."
"And does this Mr. Wonderful two-night-stand have a name?"
"His name is Max Clarke. He and his brother have opened a couple of clubs in New York and are looking to open one in Los Angeles and one here in Las Vegas."
My brother's brows furrowed as if he was trying to place the name.
"I don't know that you would know of them, but you might know of his family. His uncle is Daniel Clarke. And his dad is Drew Clarke." Before I’d met with Max last night, I Googled him, out of curiosity and for safety. I was surprised to learn that I knew of his family. Both James and I knew Drew Clarke because we’d both been marketing majors in college and had studied his marketing methods. Especially my brother James, because the Clarke family was in real estate, making Drew’s marketing plans a good matchup for my father's real estate investment business.
"No shit? How did you meet him?"
"I almost stole his car at the airport when I arrived back yesterday."
He laughed. "And you’re sure this will be over tonight? If he is handsome and nice, and comes from the Clarke family, he's quite a catch."
I glared at my brother. "First of all, I am my own woman. I don't need a good catch to fulfill my life."