Back and forth. Back and forth.
But, wow, Adley was simply intoxicating. It was the best word she could find. She’d literally felt a little drunk around her. A little tipsy. Slightly off balance, but in the best of ways. It had been years since she’d been that attracted to a woman. Actual years. Surprising, completely unexpected, and—if she was being honest—invigorating.
“And temporary,” she said quietly to herself. “Let’s not forget that part.”
She didn’t have to be anywhere today until two, so she took her time getting up and ready. She was in temporary housing arranged by the company, a small Airbnb just on the edge of the city’s most popular area, Jefferson Square. A city girl at heart, she generally preferred to be in an apartment of some kind, but this place was different. There was something about the neighborhood…the quiet, the nice yards, the close proximity to everywhere she’d need to be. She’d actually walked to and from the bar last night. Yeah, she liked it here. She could expense a standard four-door rental car, but she always upgraded it. If she had to continually drive around to learn a new city, she could at least do so in luxury. Her baby-blue BMW was parked in the driveway, and she glanced out the window at it, then blew it a kiss.
“Good morning, beautiful,” she said.
The house was nice, a one-story ranch with two bedrooms and a huge fireplace in the living room. Sad that she wouldn’t need it, being here during the late spring and summer months. By the time it got cool enough for her to want that kind of heat, she’d be off to the next city. But it was pretty to look at.
Showered and dressed, she took her second cup of coffee out onto the small open porch and sat in the white rocking chair with the striped cushion. A young couple walked by with a golden retriever on a leash and waved to her. She sighed inwardly as she waved back, wishing she could get a dog. She’d always wanted one. Never had one. Maybe one day, when she didn’t travel so much. If she didn’t travel so much. She never thought of herself as a person who wanted roots, but not having any for so long was starting to wear on her.
Her phone pinged from the small table next to her and she picked it up—Bryce Carter, coworker and asshole of the highest order, letting her know where to be and when for their first meeting. As if she didn’t already have this information. As if she didn’t already check directions and drive to the meeting location yesterday to make sure. Bryce Carter, king of mansplaining. You’d think her influence with the president of the company would be worth more when she told them Bryce was a misogynistic jerk, but instead of being reprimanded, he was promoted.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she muttered, even as she typed a return message that was much more polite. Then she scrolled through her texts and saw the one from Adley. They’d exchanged numbers last night, and she’d sent an emoji with heart eyes when they did so. It made her smile.
Adley.
Sabrina wanted to know everything about her and also nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing was safer, wasn’t it? She couldn’t get tied down, didn’t have time for that, not to mention she never stayed in one place for more than a couple months. Long enough to scope out the city, do research, oversee the construction and grand opening of the store, and then she’d be off to the next one. That was the rhythm of her life, and getting to know somebody like Adley just didn’t fit.
But spending a little bit of time with her here and there, maybe making out some more, maybe spending a night together? That did fit. That fit perfectly. And it was hard to find somebody who was in a position in life where the same thing worked for her. So the last thing Sabrina wanted to do was squander an opportunity. She opened a new text.
Probably a late night for me, but I’m sure I’ll need a cocktail after. If you’re around, I’ll be back at Martini’s around nine…
There. Open-ended. A little vague. Not so much an invitation as a report of the weather. A Here’s where I’ll be and nothing more. No expectations. No demands.
She read it over once, twice, corrected a typo, then sent it before she completely lost her mind.
Pushing herself to her feet with a sigh, she knew it was time to get moving. She downed the last of her coffee and took the mug inside to change from her joggers and hoodie to the black pinstriped business suit hanging from the closet door in her bedroom. It was time to get to work.
For the rest of the day, visions of the tall, gorgeous brunette with smiling eyes, soft lips, and a tiny dimple low on her left cheek filled Sabrina’s mind, keeping her body tingling and her panties damp.
Chapter Three
Adley couldn’t go out two nights in a row.
Could she?
It was unheard of, for her anyway. First of all, Scottie’s head would explode from the shock. She was always trying to get Adley to come out with her, and Adley was always finding reasons not to. Being tired was her most-used excuse, but it was rarely a lie. She worked hard, and she worked a lot. And by the time the shop closed at nine and she took care of the register and got things cleaned up and ready for the next day, it was usually after ten before she got home. Twelve-hour days or longer were regular for her.
Now it was nine fifteen, her employees were gone, and she was alone in the locked Get the Scoop, staring at what was left to clean up and wondering if anybody would care if she left it to deal with in the morning.
“I mean, I am the boss,” she said out loud to the empty back room with a shrug. “The only person who’d care is actually me.”
She held up both hands, palms to the ceiling, and pretended to be a scale. On one hand: cleaning up, having things sparkling the next morning. On the other: drinks with a beautiful and intriguing woman who kissed like nobody’s business and had occupied more of her headspace all day than she cared to admit.
She dropped her hands and, with a shake of her head, took off her smock and grabbed her purse, muttering, “Scottie’s gonna kill me.”
So apparently, Thursday nights were pretty busy at Martini’s. Who knew? It took Adley a good ten minutes of creeping along in her car before she found a parking spot. She checked her hair in the rearview mirror, regretting that she didn’t go home to change into something a little more presentable than her jeans and deep green button-down top with the capped sleeves. But she knew if she’d gone home first, she likely would’ve chickened out and would now be in her pajamas in bed watching American Ninja Warrior or some other mindless show while she decompressed from her day, probably with a glass of wine. So she’d stayed in the same clothes, and here she was, in the parking lot of Martini’s. She could get a glass of wine here, right?
“What am I doing?” she whispered to her reflection. And she thought about jamming the car into reverse and just leaving. Just going home. But something wouldn’t let her. Before she even thought about it, she’d reached for the door handle and pulled it open. And then she was standing on the asphalt. And then her feet were moving. And then she was pulling on the door to Martini’s. And then, even through all the people standing and talking or sitting at tables or walking across the room, she could see her. Sabrina. Sitting at the bar, rocks glass of amber liquid on its way to her lips just as their eyes met. The glass stopped, hovered. And Sabrina’s face broke into a gorgeous smile that had Adley’s knees going slightly weak. “Jesus Christ, what am I doing?” she muttered to herself. But that didn’t stop her feet from carrying her right toward Sabrina.