Page 1 of Here Be Dragons
Chapter One
Ava Foster walked over to a table by the windows looking out over Sag Harbor Bay.
"Would you like something to drink?" the waiter asked her.
"Whiskey sour."
"We also have a deal on specialty martinis tonight," he told her. "Cosmos, apple martinis, chocolate martinis."
That last one he said with a flourish and a teasing look.
"Just a whiskey sour is fine," she replied with a tight smile.
The waiter shrugged and went to put in her drink order as she dropped her phone and hotel room key on the table. Most bartenders assumed she wanted a fruity girly drink, and there was nothing wrong with women who drank them. Ava knew plenty of women like that. She just wasn't one of them.
But then there were people who always made assumptions about Ava. Maybe it was the expensive shoes or designer clothes. The fact that her skirt may be a little short or her blouse unbuttoned a little lower than the average businesswoman. But that's how she liked to dress and she bought all of this with her own money, thanks.
It could also be because her name was Ava. It sounded pretty and lady-like, but she couldn't remember the last time anyone called her a lady -- at least not in a complimentary way. Last year, she had the CEO of a company tell her, "Lady, you're just another dumb woman in a string of dumb women who thought they could control me." She added an extra poison pill to the merger contract that the CEO's law team didn't find until it was too late. Her client gave her a bonus for giving them a way to toss that idiot as part of the deal.
The bartender placed her whiskey sour down with a simple nod and walked away. She took a sip, thankful that they at least had decent whiskey at this stupid resort. It was one of those fancy places in the Hamptons that some rich old white guys picked out so they could live the life of luxury while negotiating the current lockout of the players by the hockey league owners. Well, "negotiating" may be too generous for what was happening here. Ava's brother, Jack Foster, owned the Detroit Pirates, and he suspected that there wasn't much negotiating going on.
"I think one of the owners is trying to sabotage any possible deal," he explained to her in his office. "I need you there to get the season up and running."
"I'm only doing this on short notice because I know you can afford my hourly rate."
"Yes, yes," Jack had said flippantly. "And I won't tell anyone you're really doing this because you actually love me and you love this team."
"I do, but seriously, don't tell anyone."
He leaned over her desk and smiled at her. "And I love you too."
That was two days ago. Three weeks after the season was supposed to start, but the owners had voted to lock out players instead of dropping the puck on opening night. Some owners at least. Jack was part of a smaller contingent who wanted to get everything going while continuing to negotiate. He was overruled.
The sun had already dipped below the horizon, making the sky into shades of pink. The leaves were just starting to turn red and orange. It was too cold to be out near the water so the inside bar seating was sprinkled with a few people here and there. It was all calming and quiet, which was perfect for now. Tomorrow would be a crazy mess. Tonight, she just needed to relax, maybe have a bath before bed or something.
"Is someone sitting here?"
She turned to see a man gesturing to the small table next to hers.
"No, go ahead."
She watched as Shane Taylor, captain of the Cleveland Dragons, pulled out the chair to sit. Yes, she knew exactly who he was. And yes, she noticed his hockey ass in the track pants he was wearing. She watched as he looked around at the other people in the bar area. Then he turned to her, his eyes lingering on black leggings and high heels.
"Louboutins?" he asked.
"Excuse me?"
He took a sip of his beer and nodded at her feet. "Your shoes. They're Louboutins."
She gave him a perplexed look. "How did you know?"
"The red bottoms."
"Most men don't know that."
He shrugged and looked out over the water. "I dated a model once. She bought shoes like that." Then he turned and gave her a small smile. "Actually, Iboughther shoes like that. She took them with her when she dumped me."
"That's cruel," Ava replied. "These are $800 for a pair."
