Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series by Ainsley Claire (easy readers .txt) 📗

sex at work? My stomach turns. All those body fluids and smells on a desk or office chair. I shiver. Gross. “They’ve been turning things upside down at Diamond.”

“Aren’t you glad you’re not there dealing with it?” Toni says, shaking her head.

I shrug. “Yes, but I worry I’m going to like not bothering with all the crap related to a publicly traded company a little too much. Flirt is fun, and we’re agile. I have a great team, thanks to SHN.”

“You deserve a little fun,” Toni assures me. “I’m amazed that it’s happening so fast.”

“We still have a long way to go, but I hope it will hit the mark.” I look at a couple holding hands at the next table. I envy them. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”

Toni follows my gaze, and her lips curl. I know she feels the same way. We know many of the movers and shakers in technology, and none of them makes my heart go pitter-patter like Axel does.

“Justin was an insecure jackass,” Toni says dismissively. “Anyway, when do you see Axel again?”

I hesitate, but finally give in. “Tonight. We’re going to have dinner and hang out at my place.”

“That’s huge. Is he bringing an overnight bag?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. He has a greyhound rescue. We’re going to walk Pier 39 and find a place to eat outside—if the weather holds.”

“Maybe you should take a change of underwear and a toothbrush in your bag in case you end up back at his place.”

I nod. I doubt we’ll walk back to his place. That would be quite a ways.

“Are you going to tell him?” Toni asks.

“Tell him what?”

“About being one of the richest women in the world.”

I can’t even imagine how I would bring that up. “No. I don’t want to start a conversation with, ‘By the way, I can buy the Yankees and still have plenty of money left over.’”

Toni chuckles. “It would be fun to see the look on his face if you did. But you might at least hint at it so if he’s going to be insecure, he can run for the hills before you get your heart broken.”

“If it comes up organically, I may. I know he makes good money. He gets ten percent of everything Jeremy Hamilton and all the other players he manages make.”

“That’s a pretty cushy job—you negotiate the deal; they do all the work and pay you ten percent.”

I shrug.

“I give Justin some props, though,” she says. “He never asked you for money or to fund any of his ideas.”

“No, we were pretty separate about our money.”

We drink our drinks, finish our salads, and take in the beautiful day. I shut my eyes and look up to get some sun on my face.

“Axel seems like a good guy. Just figure out how you’re going to navigate the issue when it comes out. If he has a problem with it, he can be on his way.”

“But what if I’m going to be single forever?” I say with a sigh.

“Look, I live by Caroline’s wisdom: If you want companionship, buy a dog. If you want sex, buy a good toy. And if you want children, there are multiple ways to accomplish that. You don’t need a man to complete you.”

I sigh. “I know. But I’m not ready to give up quite yet.”

“Good, because I hear this new dating app is amazing. Plus, you just had fantastic sex on a first date that lasted two days.” Toni smirks, and that’s exactly why I adore her. She’s protective one minute and funny the next. She worked hard getting Chirp developed with her business partner, and she’s often the female face of the company. It’s hard to date a decent guy under those circumstances.

Lunch finished, we stand and hug each other goodbye. “I’m counting on the app to find you a great guy,” I tell her.

I run my hands down my cotton sundress and debate on a sweater. I’m looking forward to walking the waterfront and enjoying time with Axel away from the baseball field. He just sent me a text to tell me he’s on his way. That means I have about twenty minutes. What should I do? I should probably take care of myself to take the edge off, but that seems a bit much. Instead, I pace through my house, watching the boardwalk below. You can always tell the tourists, because they take in the beauty of the City. The locals seem immune to the Golden Gate, the orange sunsets, and the breathless views contrasting city and water living.

A lot of loops through my living room later, the buzzer rings, and I grab my sweater on the walk to my front door. Standing there in jeans and a Henley stretched across his chest is Axel. I’m momentarily breathless.

“Hi. Do you want to come in?” I manage. I open the door wide, and he steps in. He has a picnic basket and blanket over his arm.

“Sure. This is SoBe.”

It isn’t until he’s in that I see the sleek, beautiful greyhound with him. I immediately get down on my knees and look into his big, brown eyes. I offer my hand for him to sniff, and he immediately licks it. “Welcome to my house, SoBe. Aren’t you the most handsome dog ever?”

“I know we talked about Pier 39, but I thought we might take a drive to the movies in Golden Gate Park,” Axel says. “They’re showing Up at sundown. I have a picnic dinner. Does that sound okay?”

“I think it sounds perfect. I wonder if I should change into jeans.”

“I have two blankets here in case we get cold.”

“Great.”

SoBe begins pacing, very alert. “What did you find?” Axel asks.

We hear huffing and some clicking.