Free One Mad Night by Julia London Page A

added with a sigh.
    â€œCareful,” Ian said. “No broad swipes at the entire male race, Crawford.”
    â€œDon’t take it personally,” she said cheerfully.
    â€œHow does your boyfriend take it?” he asked, suddenly very curious if she had one. He was even a bit surprised by how much he was hoping she did not.
    â€œ Anh ,” she said with a flick of her wrist. “We’ve kind of called it off. Wasn’t working out.”
    â€œOh yeah?” he asked, very curious now. “What’s his name?”
    â€œBrody.”
    Ian scowled. “Sounds like an actor.”
    Chelsea grinned. “Worse—he’s a senator’s aide.”
    â€œWow,” Ian said. “My sincerest condolences.”
    Chelsea laughed, unoffended. He realized that was something else about her he really liked—she was not easily offended.
    â€œWell, that’s why we’re off. He’s in DC all the time, and he says I work too many hours. He wants me to drop everything when he comes up from Washington, which, you know, he hasn’t done in a while. I think because the last time he was here, I told him that he seemed to think his job was more important than mine. Apparently, I was right.” She winked at Ian as she sipped from her glass. “You make a great vodka martini, by the way.”
    â€œIt’s a vodka tonic,” he said.
    â€œWhatever. I’m not really much of a drinker. I don’t really even know if it’s good or not. Okay, your turn, Rafferty. Girlfriend?”
    Ian considered how best to answer that question. He didn’t think the truth was going to do him any favors, the truth being that he was basically a dog, preferring to play the field rather than settle down with one woman. And then again, what difference did it make? It wasn’t like he was trying to impress Chelsea. Was it?
    â€œI am between girlfriends,” he said, making quote marks with his fingers.
    â€œInteresting. I think Nadia thinks it is more than that.”
    He’d forgotten about Nadia, a short, curly-blond-haired woman who worked in production. He’d run into her twice outside of work, and both times they had “hung out” in a very adult and ill-advised way at her apartment. “You’re keeping up with me. I’m flattered,” he said.
    â€œI can’t help but keep up with you. People talk. A lot . Especially about you.”
    â€œWhy?” he asked curiously.
    â€œ Why? Because you’re good at your job, and you’re a flirt, and you’re super cute.”
    He was surprisingly flattered that she’d said he was cute.
    Chelsea sat on the conference table and leaned across it, sliding her glass to him. “But a friendly word of advice? Steer clear of Nadia. The last guy she dated broke it off and she started following him around town.”
    That startled Ian; Chelsea laughed at his expression, clearly enjoying the strike of fear.
    â€œThanks for the warning,” he said. He picked up her glass and started back to the bar. “I don’t have anything going on with Nadia, by the way. Never did. I hung out with her a couple of times, but I can spot crazy a mile away. We had a mutual understanding that it was just a friendly sort of thing.”
    â€œFamous last words,” Chelsea said. “Funny thing about those mutual understandings,” she continued as Ian poured them another round. “They’re rarely truly mutual. Like this thing with Tesla. I thought Jason and I had a mutual understanding.”
    Ian was sure that was true. Jason was pretty good about making things sound definite when they weren’t. He brought the drinks out and sat on the conference table next to Chelsea. When she took the glass from him, her fingers grazed his, and he felt a dozen little sparks fire in his skin. Which, for some inexplicable reason, made him think of how her mouth would taste.
    Ian shifted his