Page 14 of Tributary

“Ok, then,” I say. “Care to tell me what happened today?”

“Oh, you know, just the end of my business,” she says, waving for the server to come back.

I lean in and tell the guy to bring us a pitcher of water and some fries, and to make sure one of the next set of drinks comes to me. Then I squint and eye her up. “You really got dressed up for this,” I say. “Today must have been important if you left your boots behind.”

“I used a damn curling iron,” she says, tugging at her hair. She squirms uncomfortably in her suit jacket, as if she’s just now realizing she’s not in jeans and soft cotton. I catch a whiff of floral scent as she tugs on her collar, and it’s more intoxicating than the whiskey that arrives at our table.

“Tell me about your meeting,” I urge.

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk about business, Wexler.” She pauses. “Thank you for the hops seedling. That was…unexpected.”

“Is it the right thing? Is it growing?”

I lean forward as she nods and begins to tell me about the Tettnanger and her plans to brew a special beer with it this summer once it matures. “I can’t wait to taste it,” I tell her, licking my lips, hoping it’s clear I mean to taste both the beer and her hypnotic skin again, as soon as possible.

She’s so animated, talking about her hydroponic lab and her growing lamps. It seems the trick to getting Diana to relax lies in asking her about plants. She even pulls out her phone and shows me the seedling I sent, climbing up its own little trellis in what must be her lab.

“You can monitor all that remotely? Why so many cameras?”

She shakes her head again. “Nope, not talking about my work. Nice try.” But she seems a little lighter, having shown me the little nozzles and sensors she’s got monitoring the hops, keeping track of the temperature and humidity just in that area. What specialized plants is she growing, I wonder, and what business deals brought her to a hospital in Pittsburgh?

She sits back against the wall and crosses her arms, eating a fry. “So, what? You just saw me in the hall and walked out of your meeting without looking back?”

I shrug. “Pretty much. My people will send the contract to their people…I’d rather have you yell at me than sit with them kissing my ass.”

She sighs. I raise a brow at her and reach for a fry, waiting. “Wexler,” she says, finally. “I’ve decided to fuck you again. Where’s your hotel?”

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