“Apparently,” she said, “Mr. Freeman is a mischief maker.” She stroked his lower belly. “Such nice abs,” she said, “for a man of your age.”

“Thanks, I think.”

She poked at his belly. “How do you maintain them?”

“Painfully.”

“Oh, and they’re not all that’s nice.” She stroked him.

“It likes you, too,” he said.

She kissed him on a nipple and that brought him fully to attention.

“All we need is a lubricant,” he said, starting to reach for a bedside drawer.

She pulled him back. “No, we don’t,” she replied, and she was right.

—

SHE SHOOK HIM AWAKE at six-thirty. “We don’t want to be late meeting your friends.”

Stone sat up on one elbow. “Actually, it’s only one friend. His wife is out of town. You may know her—Vivian Bacchetti?”

“We all know Viv,” she said. “So we’re having dinner with Dino?”

“We are. Dino and I have had more dinners without Viv than with. She’s always traveling on business. I’d better get into a shower.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll freshen up and get some clothes on.”

“But you look so nice as you are.”

“I’m delighted you think so, but we don’t want to cause a scandal at Georgette’s, do we?” She repaired to the bathroom.

He showered and put on fresh clothes. Fred awaited them downstairs, and they arrived at the restaurant on time. Dino was already at the table with a drink in front of him. “Yours is on the way, Stone, and this must be Hev?”

—

“HOW DO YOU DO, Dino?” she asked, offering her hand.

“Not as well as you do,” he replied.

“I’d like a vodka gimlet, straight up,” she said, and Dino spoke to their waiter.

Two hours passed and a large roast chicken was reduced to a pile of bones before them.

“Is your installation complete?” Dino asked.

“Tomorrow,” Hev replied.

“That’s very fast.”

“It’s a wireless installation, the latest thing.” She dug an iPhone from her bag, fired it up, and opened an app. “Here’s the view of your office, Stone.”

Stone took the phone from her. “It looks like a movie set,” he said, “photographed from half a dozen angles.”

“Pick one and tap on it.”

He did so, and a shot of his desktop filled the screen. “Wow.”

“It’s even more impressive on an iPad,” she said. She took him through the other angles, then zoomed in and out. “Now the master suite.”

“Oops,” Stone said, “I forgot to make the bed this morning.”

“Stone,” Dino said, “you never lift a finger in that house, and it’s never less than neat for more than five minutes.”

“Oh, shut up, Dino,” Stone said, while Hev giggled. “Look, there’s Bob,” she said. The dog trotted into the room and promptly hopped onto the unmade bed and curled up.

“Can I yell at him?” Stone asked.