Page 12 of Disciplining Dana

When she cracked open the menu, she felt vindicated. There wasn’t a single item on it that was under twenty dollars, and most of the signature dishes ran close to two hundred. Add in the wine and cocktails she was sure he’d order, and they weren’t getting out of this place for under five bills, minimum.

She found the cheapest salad she could, ignored Kurt’s glare, and once the sommelier had come and gone, took a sip of the wine he’d ordered.

“I could eat for a week off what this one glass is costing.”

“You aren’t paying for it, so zip it and enjoy.”

“You’re pretentious.”

“I enjoy the fruits of our labor.”

“So do I. I just do it with a modicum of restraint.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of how much you love restraint.”

Dana groaned. “Oh my God, that was… so bad.”

“I thought it was kinda clever, myself,” Kurt replied with a grin.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It wasn’t.”

He laughed and took another sip of his drink. “Okay, can we talk business for a minute?”

“We could’ve talked business at my place over pizza.”

“Too many distractions.”

“Whatever,” she said, shaking her head.

“Gary’s got a new assignment for us.”

“About time,” she replied gruffly. Argentina had been… rough. And even if Kurt was still mother-henning her over the injuries she’d gotten there, she was ready to be back out in the field, proving once again to everyone she was the best there was.

“Please. You needed to recover.”

“I’m pretty sure I showed you the other night just how recovered I am.”

“Fair enough,” Kurt replied, “but Gary wasn’t there to see that, was he?”

“You could’ve told him.”

“What makes you think I didn’t?”

“Okay, fine,” she said with a sigh. “Thank you, if you did.”

“I did. I assumed you were ready to get back in the field.”

She pursed her lips. It had crossed her mind that maybe being laid up was part of the reason why she’d been feeling anxious lately. Part of the reason, because it wasn’t only that, even if she wasn’t entirely sure what the rest was.

“I am,” she said quietly, taking another drink.

“Good, because this one’s going to be… interesting.”

She made a face, suspicion narrowing her eyes. “Interesting?”

Everything she and Kurt did in the field would be considered interesting to those who worked in their profession, so for him to start off describing this new assignment as such…

Where are you going with this, buddy?

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