on her.
And his sights were on the brunette. He'd seen her again, coming out of the bar that afternoon. A drinker. That was good. It'd make her easy to find. She'd be back in the bar again, he'd pour a few drinks down her, and pow. Another Bond triumph.
He smiled at his reflection and headed for the elevator to sell real estate and fake honesty before he sold the brunette on a night in his room.
When the brass elevator doors opened at the nineteenth floor, Alec stood face-to-face with a white-haired woman dressed in navy silk and gold braid. She beamed at him as she stepped in. "Darling!"
"Good. I was coming to talk to you." Alec leaned over and kissed her cheek, smiling because she was so cute and he was so glad to see her. "Nice getup, Aunt Vic. Planning on invading something?"
She laughed and saluted him as the elevator doors closed. "The military look is very stylish now. God knows why. Probably nostalgia for the Reagan years. But it's also wonderfully flattering. It's amazing how distracting gold braid can be." She frowned at the red velvet-covered elevator walls. "And it's not easy to stand out in this place. Who was their decorator, that Biddle Barrows woman?"
"I like it," Alec said.
"With your libido, you would," Victoria said. "What did you do all afternoon? Seduce the natives?"
"Waited for you, of course," Alec lied.
"Right." Victoria narrowed her eyes. "I left a message for you to meet me in the Ivy Room for lunch, but you didn't. What are you up to? Are you doing something for that secret agency of yours?"
"Shhhh," Alec said to the empty elevator.
"And you're awfully dressed up since you didn't know you'd run into me." His aunt looked at him in disgust. "You've picked up a blonde and asked her out to dinner, haven't you?"
"A brunette. Listen, I need—"
The elevator doors opened, and Victoria sailed out. "Don't worry," she said tartly. "I won't cramp your style."
Alec followed her with exasperated affection. "You never do. Most of the time I cramp yours."
Victoria sniffed. "Nobody cramps my style."
Alec caught up with her. "That's why I worry. You're running around with my last name, diving into fountains. Why didn't you keep your married name?"
"Why should I? I didn't keep my husband."
Alec tried to look stern. "It's time. you settled down."
"Me?" Victoria snorted. "What about you?"
"Why should I settle down? I'm having a great time."
"That's your problem. You always have a great time." Victoria surveyed him critically. "You need some trauma in your life."
"Hey," Alec said. "I thought you loved me."
"I do," Victoria said over her shoulder as she headed for the restaurant. "But I worry about you. Things come too easily for you. Women, work, it all just fells into your lap."
"I work very hard at what I do. Which reminds me—"
Victoria turned in the middle of the lobby and nailed him with her eyes. "Have you ever failed? At anything?"
"Of course, I haven't failed." Alec was outraged. "I just told you—"
"If you haven't failed, you're not trying hard enough."
Alec glared at her. "Who told you this garbage?"
"A friend of mine. Janice Meredith."
"Meredith." Alec frowned. "The feminist whatsit. Marriage expert, right?"
"Yes." Victoria caught his sleeve and dragged him over to the row of gilt chairs he'd seen Dennie Banks use to con Trella that afternoon. "Sit down," she said and pushed him onto a chair as she sat down beside him. "Janice is going through a terrible time right now—I can't tell you why—but she's fine. And do you know why?"
Alec tried to be patient. "No, why?"
Victoria smacked his shoulder. "Pay attention and stop patronizing me. This is important. Janice says it's better to have taken a chance and tried, than never to have tried at all. If you haven't failed, you're only doing the easy things. A failure now and then tells you you're stretching yourself."
"So you want me to stretch myself and fail." Alec patted his aunt's hand. "No, thanks. Listen, I need
And his sights were on the brunette. He'd seen her again, coming out of the bar that afternoon. A drinker. That was good. It'd make her easy to find. She'd be back in the bar again, he'd pour a few drinks down her, and pow. Another Bond triumph.
He smiled at his reflection and headed for the elevator to sell real estate and fake honesty before he sold the brunette on a night in his room.
When the brass elevator doors opened at the nineteenth floor, Alec stood face-to-face with a white-haired woman dressed in navy silk and gold braid. She beamed at him as she stepped in. "Darling!"
"Good. I was coming to talk to you." Alec leaned over and kissed her cheek, smiling because she was so cute and he was so glad to see her. "Nice getup, Aunt Vic. Planning on invading something?"
She laughed and saluted him as the elevator doors closed. "The military look is very stylish now. God knows why. Probably nostalgia for the Reagan years. But it's also wonderfully flattering. It's amazing how distracting gold braid can be." She frowned at the red velvet-covered elevator walls. "And it's not easy to stand out in this place. Who was their decorator, that Biddle Barrows woman?"
"I like it," Alec said.
"With your libido, you would," Victoria said. "What did you do all afternoon? Seduce the natives?"
"Waited for you, of course," Alec lied.
"Right." Victoria narrowed her eyes. "I left a message for you to meet me in the Ivy Room for lunch, but you didn't. What are you up to? Are you doing something for that secret agency of yours?"
"Shhhh," Alec said to the empty elevator.
"And you're awfully dressed up since you didn't know you'd run into me." His aunt looked at him in disgust. "You've picked up a blonde and asked her out to dinner, haven't you?"
"A brunette. Listen, I need—"
The elevator doors opened, and Victoria sailed out. "Don't worry," she said tartly. "I won't cramp your style."
Alec followed her with exasperated affection. "You never do. Most of the time I cramp yours."
Victoria sniffed. "Nobody cramps my style."
Alec caught up with her. "That's why I worry. You're running around with my last name, diving into fountains. Why didn't you keep your married name?"
"Why should I? I didn't keep my husband."
Alec tried to look stern. "It's time. you settled down."
"Me?" Victoria snorted. "What about you?"
"Why should I settle down? I'm having a great time."
"That's your problem. You always have a great time." Victoria surveyed him critically. "You need some trauma in your life."
"Hey," Alec said. "I thought you loved me."
"I do," Victoria said over her shoulder as she headed for the restaurant. "But I worry about you. Things come too easily for you. Women, work, it all just fells into your lap."
"I work very hard at what I do. Which reminds me—"
Victoria turned in the middle of the lobby and nailed him with her eyes. "Have you ever failed? At anything?"
"Of course, I haven't failed." Alec was outraged. "I just told you—"
"If you haven't failed, you're not trying hard enough."
Alec glared at her. "Who told you this garbage?"
"A friend of mine. Janice Meredith."
"Meredith." Alec frowned. "The feminist whatsit. Marriage expert, right?"
"Yes." Victoria caught his sleeve and dragged him over to the row of gilt chairs he'd seen Dennie Banks use to con Trella that afternoon. "Sit down," she said and pushed him onto a chair as she sat down beside him. "Janice is going through a terrible time right now—I can't tell you why—but she's fine. And do you know why?"
Alec tried to be patient. "No, why?"
Victoria smacked his shoulder. "Pay attention and stop patronizing me. This is important. Janice says it's better to have taken a chance and tried, than never to have tried at all. If you haven't failed, you're only doing the easy things. A failure now and then tells you you're stretching yourself."
"So you want me to stretch myself and fail." Alec patted his aunt's hand. "No, thanks. Listen, I need
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