Page 75 of Tell Me Something

“So, Sasha. Haylee and I were planning to make our way downstairs for happy hour. I’m newly divorced, and she’s kind enough to reintroduce me to the single scene. Would you like to join us?”

Sasha smiled. “I’d love to. If you could excuse me for a moment, I’d like to call my boss and let him know about this. Then I should call my client.”

“Of course. There’s a conference room out my door to the right. Please feel free to take as long as you like. Haylee and I can discuss more about the scenes and a few other details.”

Sasha smiled, mouthed thank you to me, and quickly went into the conference room.

“You’re beaming like you won something,” Catherine remarked.

“I feel like we did. She worked hard on this. It was important that you saw that instead of merely doing me a favor.”

“I can respect that, especially now that I’ve met her. Are you comfortable doing the lingerie scene?”

“I think so. I mean, I’ve done bikinis, and Bart is amazing at making me feel relaxed. Is Will going to be the model?”

She smiled. “If he’s as great as you say, I think so. We’re meeting on Tuesday. Also, Bart did get back to me. How does December twenty-third work for you? Sorry it’s so close to the holidays, but he’s coming into town to see family, so he’d like to combine the trip.”

“That’s not a problem. I’ll check with Mr. Singer and confirm, but he’s always said he’d be flexible when it comes to modeling.”

“Honey, I meant for your holiday plans. You have some, right?”

“Uh, yes, I have a couple options. I’m working that week either way, though.” Shit, I hadn’t even thought of Christmas plans yet.

She sighed. “Well, if you need me to talk to Josh about getting a day off, let me know, and I’ll have a chat with him.”

I tried not to think of the irony of her thinking she’d have more pull than I would.

IT WAS obvious by the time we made it downstairs that I was not the one who could show Catherine what the single life was like in New York City. Not only was I unfamiliar with the city, but I also had no clue how business professionals did happy hour.

Sasha, thankfully, was more than willing to take the lead. Catherine and I were happy to be her pupils for the evening.

“Okay, first rule when it comes to happy hour, ladies: never go to the bar next to your work. Because guess who you will see there? Work people.”

Huh, well that made sense.

“Secondly, go to a bar that’s next to a firm with a lot of successful men because they will simply go downstairs to grab a drink.”

If anyone seemed to have self-assurance when it came to men, it was Sasha with her flawless olive skin and the pencil skirt and white blouse accenting her curves. Her killer stilettos appeared to be the icing on the cake. I had a feeling I could learn a lot from her when it came to how to act cool and collected around the opposite sex.

When we entered the bar, I noticed right away the ratio of men to women was indeed in our favor. The décor was modern, with funky light fixtures, chrome tables, and a huge bar with colorful liquor bottles behind it. Mirrors were everywhere. Although we stayed downstairs, it looked like there was an upper level. It was happy hour central, with suits and ties everywhere.

Sasha smiled at the bartender and held up three fingers.

He obviously knew exactly what she wanted since he nodded and then pointed over to a high-top table with two stools. Within a minute, another stool was brought around and three martinis delivered.

“Wow, that’s some service. You come here a lot?” I was impressed.

Sasha smiled and shrugged. “Enough, although I haven’t been out in a while. I like to bring my single female clients here since there’s a big law firm upstairs. Lots of men.”

Sasha nudged me under the table when I tried looking around. “Third rule of Operation Trolling for Hot Guys: we don’t look around. We’re here for these amazing blackberry martinis and to talk to one another. We don’t give a shit about who’s around us or how cute the men are. Let them come to you, ladies.”

The rules made me giggle. We made small talk, and I appreciated that Sasha was actually quite funny once she was comfortable around people. By the end of the evening, I’d had a great time in the company of two dynamic, successful women, and Sasha had given her phone number to a hot attorney.

IT WAS LATE by the time I got home and sank into bed. I lay there waiting for Josh, hoping he’d come by. Finally frustrated that I’d wait on him, I picked up my phone and texted him.

“Had three drinks and miss you. I’m home now in my lonely bed.”

Fifteen minutes later my door opened, and I watched as he crawled in beside me.