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We sit in silence until the wine and water are delivered. It’ll be another few minutes before we get our lunches. I wish this was a regular business lunch, with our assistants and maybe a few others present. Then we could be around each other but without the bullshit. At the moment I don’t feel super great being alone with her.

“How is it?” She motions to my wineglass.

I hurry to sample a taste. It’s a bit bitter, but also sweet, twisting on my tongue until my nerves settle themselves. “It’s nice.”

My eyes remain averted. Ira tilts her head until her eyes meet mine. “Something bothering you?”

Yes, Ira. Something is bothering me. Namely, this is the first time we’ve been alone like this since I was last in your apartment. Remember what happened there? I insinuated that I wanted more of your attention. Foolishly. Then I got all bothered when you pushed me against your wall and grinded your crotch against my ass. We may have been wearing clothes, but fuck me, that was hot.

“I’m fine.” I drink more wine. “Really.”

She keeps to her side of the table, and I keep to mine. In the distance is faint piano music and the rabble of people conversing over lunch. There’s no one else in our section.

“Hopefully the demolition team will get their act together soon.” Ira looks at her phone as if I’m not worthy of her attention. “My father and I aren’t in the business of cleaning up their mess. Not on our dollar, anyway.”

For some reason, she keeps going on about work. I don’t know if she thinks I’m interested, but really, I’m not. I know why she’s brought me here alone. “We need to talk.” Yes. Yes, we do.

“Cut the bullshit.” Ira regards me with mild amusement. What a cocky, arrogant… stupidly hot louse. “Let’s get down to business. Real business. Between you and me.”

Sometimes I surprise Ira with my personality. Sure, I’ve been acting like a submissive little tart around her. I don’t know why. Something about her is bringing it out of me. I don’t like it, but here we are. Deep down, I’m an assertive bitch who doesn’t like dealing with people’s shit. I’d rather dish it out.

Ira goes from mild shock to nearly laughing at the table. “If you insist.” She raises her wineglass to me before polishing off half the contents. “Let’s have a date Friday after work.”

“A date?’

The server chooses that moment to arrive with our meals. Salad for me, and baked chicken with stir-fry vegetables for Ira. When she catches me eyeballing that delicious-smelling food, she carves off a piece and plops it into my salad. I say nothing. Just stare at what she’s done, as if we’re that intimate.

“What’s wrong? Vegetarian now?” Her droll voice is going to get her kicked in the shin.

“Go back to the date thing. What do you mean by that?”

She leans forward, that look in her eye so telling that my thighs tremble. “I mean a date, Kathleen. Don’t know if you realized it, but we have yet to go on a proper date.”

“I know that.” It’s something I’ve thought about sometimes. We were supposed to go on a date a couple of weeks ago… but I stood her up like a total bitch. Only because I thought she was going to try to dominate me… and I wasn’t ready.

I’m still not. Not at this second, anyway.

“So let’s do it. Let’s go on a real date.”

“What’s this?”

“I’m not sure I would consider this a date.”

“No, guess not.” We’re only having lunch because of work. “What are we doing on this date, exactly? I want to know before I say yes.”

She’s rolling her eyes at me for the second time today. It drives me nuts like she’s being condescending without saying a damned word. “I’m not going to spank you, Katie,” she mutters. “A vanilla date.”

Haha. A vanilla date.

“I was thinking dinner. Maybe a show if something is interesting to see. My family has year-round box passes at the cinema near my place. Father’s a bit of a movie buff. We go there a couple of times a month for him to go on about Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood.”

I don’t say anything.

“Digress. After that?” Before I’ve picked up my fork, Ira’s hand is on mine, here, on this table. Fuck all the tingles rushing through my body. Fuck the fact she does it to me. “We’ll see where the wind takes us. Not everything has to be perfectly planned.”

“I’m sure sex is on this wind.”

“Only if you’re truly interested.” Ira shrugs. “Like I said, nothing kinky.” Her hand continues to curl around mine. “Sometimes a woman wants things simple.”