Free Secrets that Simmer by Ivy Sinclair Page B

reiterated.
    “Just business,” Tony said. He pulled a briefcase up off the floor and into the air, showing it to her with a mocking grin. It was black suede leather and had the symbol of a popular luxury brand on the buckle. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
    Maggie decided to ignore the innuendo. She put her beat up briefcase on the tabletop and was embarrassed by it. It had seen better days to be sure, but it had been a gift from her parents when she graduated law school. They had probably had to save for several months to buy it. Her family hadn’t been well-to-do like Tony’s.
    Maggie pulled a pad of paper and a pencil out of her briefcase and looked at him expectantly.
    “We haven’t even ordered wine yet,” he said. As if on cue, Benson appeared next to his elbow. “Mr. Atwood, Ms. O’Hara, again we are delighted to have you here at the Violet Lune tonight. May I suggest the chef’s tasting menu? There’s a lovely wine pairing that goes along with it prepared by our sommelier that I think that you will find exquisite.”
    Maggie had no idea quite what was happening. Tony looked at her expectantly. “Any allergies or foods that you definitely don’t like?”
    “My father used to joke that I have a hollow leg.” Maggie had no idea why she said that. It sounded as if she could eat a horse when she said that kind of thing. “No, no allergies, nothing like that.”
    Tony turned back to Benson. “Then we will gladly put ourselves in Chef Marco’s capable hands for the evening.”
    Benson nodded appreciation. “Very good, sir. And I’m sure he’ll want to come up and have a chat with you once he has a free moment in the kitchen.”
    Maggie wouldn’t admit it, but she was impressed with the fact that Tony knew Chef Marco personally. Chef Marco was written up in the paper at least twice a week for his avant gard style and risky dishes. Critics came from all over the country to taste his cuisine. The fact that it sounded like he was a close personal friend of Tony’s was surreal. Tony seemed to take all that in stride as if that kind of thing happened every day. Of course, she had to correct herself. It probably did happen every day in Tony’s world.
    He caught her look and frowned. “What?”
    “You are a piece of work, aren’t you?” Maggie said exactly what was on her mind. She realized she was going to have to reel that in if she wanted Tony to actually like her enough to open up to her. She backpedaled with a sweet smile. “I just mean I don’t normally have this kind of dining experience. It is a whole new level for me.”
    “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Chef Marco’s choices. He is one of the newest up-and-coming chefs in the country.”
    “I know. I might not get to dine at the Violet Lune on a regular basis, but I do have an awareness of what’s happening in our city.” Maggie couldn’t quite keep the snarkiness out of her voice. She wasn’t sure what it was about Tony that just brought it out.
    Tony looked as if he wanted to say something else when Benson appeared again. The man nodded apologetically as if he was aware that he had interrupted them, but then filled two glasses of wine to the brim. Maggie knew that she was going to need it to make it through the next couple of hours in one piece. She picked up her glass and started take a sip when Tony stopped her.
    “A toast?”
    “All right,” she said grudgingly.
    “To new alliances,” Tony said. He gave her a smug smirk.
    “To new alliances,” Maggie said. She clinked his glass, and then she eagerly took a sip of the wine. She closed her eyes in appreciation. There was one thing that Maggie truly enjoyed, and that was a good glass of wine. She would save for months to splurge on a perfect bottle of Pinot Noir from her favorite French vineyard. It was something that she only opened for special occasions like winning her latest case at trial.
    She nodded with a small shrug when she saw Tony’s