Page 54 of Blush

He gives me a chaste kiss on the cheek and then walks toward the exit.

His friends are still at the table with Gigi and Frankie. I should probably leave as well. I start walking toward the door to hail a cab when I hear Frankie.

“Mandy! Come back. We’re going to do a toast.”

I head back to the table.

“What are we toasting to?” A fresh sidecar sits at my place. “Did I order this?”

“The guys bought a round,” Frankie says.

“Oh? That’s kind of you. Thank you. But still…what are we toasting?”

“I got a promotion,” Morgan says.

“Oh? What do you do?”

“I’m a financial adviser.”

Gigi holds up her glass. “To Morgan’s new promotion!”

We clink glasses. Did we talk about careers? It was all just a din of conversation to me. Poor Michael. What the heck does he see in me anyway?

“I’d love a dance.” Morgan rises and leads Gigi out to the dance floor, leaving just Frankie, Ryan, and me at the table.

Ryan quickly asks Frankie for a dance, so here I am.

Alone with my sidecar. I take a sip. It’s too sour. The bartender forgot to put the rim of sugar on it.

It’s okay. I feel kind of sour.

I don’t have to feel sour, though. I made a date tomorrow for a training session with Michael, who seems like a good guy. A guy who I probably should’ve let escort me home.

But you can never be too careful in New York.

I down my sidecar in one large gulp.

Then I wave to Frankie on the dance floor, letting her know I’m leaving.

Outside, I catch a cab home.

It’s nearing midnight, and I walk up to my apartment and gasp.

Jackson is sitting next to my door. He’s wearing a jacket and… Damn. Black jeans. Three guesses where he’s been.

“Jack, what are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Why didn’t you use your key card?”

Jack and I always have keys to each other’s places.

“I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

I scoff. “Since when has that ever stopped you? You could have at least let Roger out. Jeez, don’t you hear him scratching?”

“Mandy,” he says, “please, just let me in. I need a place to crash.”