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I nod. “I’m coming.” I glance back at Sidnie. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
She’s chatting with Victoria again, though, and just smiles and shakes her head.
Stifling a sigh, I nod at Felicity, then follow Titus and the others across the room.
I should have just taken Sidnie to a bar for a drink, and kept her to myself.
Chapter Six
Sidnie
I watch Mack stride across the room, then realize Victoria’s holding out another G&T, waiting for me to notice.
“Sorry.” I take it from her, and she smiles. “He’s like the sun, isn’t he? Dazzling.”
Next to her, Felicity, who also watched him walk away, turns back to face us. “We’re all just comets shooting through his solar system, aren’t we?”
Victoria gives her a warning glance.
“I’m not being a bitch,” Felicity says. “I’m just stating a fact.”
“I know,” I reply cheerfully. “I’m guessing he dates a lot of women. I know I’m nothing special.”
“He did tell you it was his birthday,” she says. “He must really like you.” She doesn’t look jealous, just curious.
“I only met him this morning,” I reply, a little embarrassed. I know this woman is his ex. Didn’t he tell her when his birthday was? “It’s not a big thing. Like he said, it just slipped out.”
“It’s all right, you haven’t hurt my feelings,” she says. “I knew all along he couldn’t be tamed. Make the most of him while you have him.” She smiles, then turns and walks off.
“I can’t work out if she was being nice or not,” I say to Victoria.
“A bit of both,” Victoria says. “Their affair didn’t end well. She went to his office and refused to leave until he explained why he hadn’t called her. When he said it was over, she threw the coffee machine through Nadine’s window.”
“Fuck, really?”
“Yeah. You can imagine what he thought of that. He was going to have security escort her off the premises, but Nadine took her into the ladies and spent half an hour consoling her before calling her an Uber and sending her home. I think she’s over him now, but it obviously stung at the time when he told her it was over.”
“How long had they been dating?”
“Oh, I don’t even know if I’d call it that. They hooked up a few times. I think she was convenient.” She sends me an apologetic look then. “I’m so sorry, that sounds very rude.”
“It’s okay.”
“He’s single-minded. He works such long hours. When he does get time to himself, he wants something uncomplicated, that’s all.”
“Sex, you mean?” I ask, amused.
She gives me a wry look. “Let’s just say that most of his dates are hoping it’ll go further than that, but it never does.” She smiles. “Until now, anyway.”
“Jesus, like I said, I met him this morning. We’re hardly celebrating our silver wedding anniversary. I’m not insulted. I know he just wants to have a good time, and that’s okay.” Briefly, I think about my secret task. Then I push it back into its box. Nope, not going to think about it.
“So who’s Aaron?” I ask.
“He runs the Auckland Technology Consortium—it’s a small group of the top business people, invitation only. Huxley wanted to call it Aaron’s Avengers. Titus preferred The Huge Members, but they were both outvoted.” She grins as I giggle.
She opens her mouth to say something else, but someone taps her on the shoulder, and she turns to greet them. I step back, to the corner of the bar, put my drink down, and pull my phone out, as I’m sure I felt it vibrate just now.
Sure enough, it’s a text—from Mack.Sorry I abandoned you. I won’t be long.
