“That’s not going to happen,” I told him. Then I leaned toward him with a sly smile on my face, peering into his pugilistic eyes. “But if you behave yourself like a good boy—and I mean a really, really good boy—one day … I just might let you watch.”

Chris burst out into unrestrained laughter. He licked his finger with his tongue and made an imaginary tick in the air. “Switch seats with me, Teresa.”

“Of course.”

The rest of the evening went by without incident, with Badger ignoring me and turning his attention to a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Seated with the ladies, I steered the conversation away from anything personal and chatted with my young friends about foundation, lipstick, nail polish (we all three liked the color Wicked), the benefits of Botox even at twenty, and whether the current bachelor was on crack cocaine when he dumped Amber for the evil Edison. At one point, the conversation switched back to Gabe. They both thought he was cute and sweet. All he talked about was his piano and his fiancée, which just about summed up my son’s interests.

When it was time to go, I smiled sweetly to George, who shook my hand, and afterward, I allowed Mike Badger to kiss my hand gallantly as if nothing had happened.

He winked at me and slurred out, “The offer still stands.”

“You couldn’t afford her,” Chris told him. “We’ll talk later?”

Badger nodded and staggered off, his arm draped around Kirstin’s shoulders, using her for support. Denofrio and Brie walked behind Badger and his date, tailing them like Secret Service agents. A few minutes later, I was in Chris’s upstairs office at the lounge, taking off the heels and putting on flats. The man had offices in every building he owned. This one was like his main office downstairs from his suite, done in brown leather with a little color in the accessories, plus some nondescript framed pictures on the walls. There was an antique portable bar with stemware that seemed beside the point because there was a big bar downstairs. I said, “Did I ruin your deal for you?”

“Are you kidding me?” He grinned. “You crushed it, baby. The asshole was smitten.”

“Did you get what you want?”

“Pretty much.” He kissed my nose. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad it helped.” I was drained. “I’m tired.”

“Do you want me to bring the bike so you don’t have to walk?”

“No, I’m okay.”