Page 30 of Spades

She nods. “They’re really fabulous.” She bites her lip. “You must think I’m being reckless. I just ordered my fourth drink, and you’ve only had two.”

“I’d join you for a third, but I want to get you safely home.” I flash her a smile. “But you are more than welcome to drink to your heart’s content. It’s on me.”

She reaches into her bag, grabs her purse. “No, I can throw you some cash if you?—”

I hold up a hand. “Your money is no good here, Alissa. Besides, it’s charged directly to my account. When I bring my best friend to the club, he’ll occasionally insist that he put a credit card down, but unless they’re told otherwise, they know to charge everything directly to me.”

“And they just recognize you?”

I nod. “Club membership here is very exclusive. Only a couple dozen people in the entire city are allowed within these walls. They only have fifty or so faces to memorize.”

“Fascinating.” She scrunches her eyebrows. “It must cost you a fortune to pay the membership fee, then.”

“It’s not cheap. But I inherited the membership from my father. And his estate is paying my membership fees in perpetuity.”

“So your father is paying for these drinks?”

I chuckle. “No. I pay for any incidentals. Drinks are on me, Alissa. And you can have as many as you like.”

She fans herself. “Mr. Hathaway, you’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?”

“Of course not. I trust a woman to know when to cut herself off.”

Four comes by and hands off Alissa’s gin and tonic and my sparkling water.

“Thank you, Four.” Alissa bows her head to the server.

He blinks for a moment but then nods to her and turns away, heading to another table to take their order.

Alissa takes a sip of her drink. “I hope I didn’t offend him.”

“I don’t think you could offend anyone, Alissa.” I bring my own glass of sparkling water to my lips. The comforting sting of the carbonation pricks at my tongue, laced with the gentle acidity of the lemon twist.

“Very European of you to order a sparkling water,” Alissa says. “Most of the Americans I meet only enjoy soda if it’s pumped full of corn syrup and artificial coloring.”

I shrug. “I’ve always had a taste for it, I suppose. Something about the bubbles, I don’t know. I have a SodaStream at home. Every so often, when I’m thirsty but regular water just isn’t enough, I power it up.”

She laughs lightly and takes another sip of her drink.

“This drink will be my last.” She pouts her lips out and narrows her eyes at me. “Unless, of course, I can convince you to come in for a nightcap once you’ve dropped me off at my place.”

13

ALISSA

I clapmy hand over my mouth.

I can’t believe I just said that.

Who is this woman who’s taken over my body? Because it certainly isn’t Alissa Maravilla.

The straight-edged Alissa—the Alissa who quit a promising flute career for the more stable career of nursing—would have cut herself off after two drinks maximum, would be much more reserved in her flirtation, if she flirted at all.

Perhaps it’s my peculiar surroundings, or perhaps it’s the charming, mysterious man across the table from me.

More than likely it’s the nearly four drinks I’ve had tonight. Twice my normal limit.

My gin and tonic is already half spent.

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