“How are you, Morris?” She extended her hand to him but kept her tone aloof and uninviting. “I recommend the sea bass.”
“And I recommend the martinis,” he said, raising his frosted glass. “In fact, I coached the bartender here on how to make one just right.”
“Stirred or shaken?”
“Shaken.”
Maris had moved to the coat check to retrieve her raincoat, so Nadia felt free to engage in a mild flirtation. It wouldn’t be smart to be too aloof. Her dinner with him at the Rainbow Room had been enjoyable. If she gave him the brush-off now, he would wonder why.
“Gin or vodka?”
“Vodka. Straight up and extra dirty.”
One of her artfully waxed eyebrows arched. “I like the sound of that.”
“Here.” He lifted the pick from his glass and extended it toward her mouth.
Keeping her eyes on his, she touched the tip of her tongue to the olive, then closed her lips around it and sucked it into her mouth. “Hmm. My favorite thing.”
“Join me in one?”
“I’m afraid I can’t, Morris. Rain check?”
“I’ll call.”
She flashed him her most promising smile. It had been mastered after years of practice and was now practically habitual. She told him to enjoy his lunch and turned away to rejoin Maris.
To her consternation, the smile worked too well. Blume trailed her, making an introduction to Maris unavoidable. She executed it with as much casualness as she could affect.
As the two shook hands, Blume said, “I’ve long been an admirer of your publishing house.”
“And a suitor,” Maris remarked.
He grinned disarmingly. “So you’ve read the numerous letters I’ve written to your esteemed father?”
“Along with his replies.”
“Do you agree with him?”
“Wholeheartedly. While we’re flattered that an entity like WorldView is interested in merging with us, we like ourselves the way we are.”
“So your husband told me during our last meeting.”
Chapter 17
Noah was reviewing the company’s most recent shipping invoices when his wife stormed into his office and slammed the door behind her, stunning his secretary.
She tossed her handbag and damp raincoat into the nearest chair and strode to the edge of his desk. She’d been testy and despondent since her return from Georgia last evening, but she had never looked better. Today she was dressed in a suit tailored for office wear, but it was a form-fitting one he’d always admired. Time spent on the beach had put some color in her cheeks and stripped it from her hair. Sun-bleached strands framed her face, giving her a youthful, healthy appearance.
Her expression, however, wasn’t sunny.
“Hello, Maris. How was your lunch?”
“I was just introduced to WorldView’s whiz kid, Morris Blume. He told me to give you his regards.”
Goddamn Nadia! he thought. Why hadn’t she called to warn him of this? Then he remembered: He had given Cindy strict instructions to hold his calls until after he’d had time to review the financial statements stacked on his desk—ironically because of WorldView. He’d been going over the charts and columns entry by entry, becoming intimately familiar with them, seeking potential trouble spots which might cause Blume and company concern. Should they pose any questions, Noah wanted to have an explanation ready.
Remaining as unflappable as possible, he said, “How nice of Mr. Blume to remember me.”