he thumping bass of the music hit her like a physical

for the bar, slidin

," she said to

t in one go, the alcohol burning a fiery path down her

oth

iced line already on his lips. One look from Cl

im, colored lights. She tried to focus on the noise, the press of bod

professional necessity. Her thumb swiped it open automatically. The screen lit up with

upscale restaurant downtown. And snuggled up against his

he gesture was intimate, proprietary. Egnacio was looking down at her with an expression of fond

d. The whiskey sloshed over the r

nship. It was that he didn't want one with her. He wanted the sweet, simperi

Her first instinct was to march over there, to throw her d

ould only make her look hysterical. It would be the talk of the town by mornin

t. A cold, murderous calm settled over her. They thought she

he night. The parking lot was mostly empty, lit by a single, flickering s

minated her face, and for a second, she saw her own reflection. Her expres

y had humiliated her. The

oth pay for