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mood. Of course, Lado could care less.
    “What the fuck is your problem? I’ve left you two messages and sent you at least three emails, all unanswered. Did you fire me and forget to tell me?”
    Nori snorted. “Fire you for what? Are you stealing from me and I’m just now finding out about it?”
    Lado burst out laughing. “Yeah! That could happen.”
    Tall, his thick, wine red hair askew above a pale, but undeniably handsome face, Lado stared at his oldest friend, then walked close to stand beside him at the window.
    “What is it?”
    Nori shrugged.
    “Are you dying of some undisclosed illness?”
    This got a snort.
    “Okay. Is your father sick?”
    “No, hale and hearty as ever, the bastard.”
    “O-kay. Are the two of you fighting?”
    “No more than usual.”
    “I know business isn’t bad, so it must be a woman. And since I know you’ve been seen around town with the lovely Margot, it must be she who has you acting like a fucking douche and ignoring moi ,” Lado touched his own broad chest as though such behavior was beyond the pale, and Nori couldn’t help but grin.
    “Finally!” Lado said, turning his friend dramatically by the shoulders and shaking him. “Snap out of it already. Aren’t you a little early for your mid-life crisis? You’re not even 40.”
    Nori shrugged off his friend and folded both hands on top of his head as he began to pace. “She’s driving me crazy.” He knew his voice was guttural. That’s how he felt, like he was in the bowels of a cave that was about to cave in; he was battered and bruised and covered in dust so thick he could barely see his way out.
    “What’s the problem?” Lado asked reasonably, helping himself to Nori’s chair, and spinning around a few times because he liked to. “Is she denying you her bed?”
    “No.”
    “Are you getting sick of her and worried how it may affect business if you let her go?”
    “No.”
    “She accidentally on purpose bit you on the wanker while blowing you.”
    “No!”
    “Well, what then? This would go a lot faster if I didn’t have to play guess Nori’s girlfriend problem.”
    “Stop sounding so bloody reasonable,” Nori growled, glaring at his friend as he continued to pace.
    “Reasonable?” Lado laughed. “I’m sitting in your office on a Sunday morning. It doesn’t get any more unreasonable than this, my friend.”
    Nori threw his hands up in disgust and strode to the cabinet that hid his bar. He held up a bottle questioningly.
    Lado shrugged. “Sure, it’s past 10. The early morning service should be out by now. Why not? Give us a bit more, love,” he said, when Nori offered a splash of their favorite cognac. “In for a penny, I always say.”
    Toasting the air they both tossed off their doubles with flare and the ease of long practice.
    Lado shuddered dramatically. “Christ, that’s good. Now. Out with it. What’s got you so riled up, then? I mean, riled enough that we’re drinking before noon on the Lord’s day, and me a bloody Catholic.”
    “It’s constant,” Nori muttered, back to his pacing. “She’s in my head all the time. I wake up wondering, is she up? Did she eat? She often forgets to eat. Should I send something over? I should call and order something to send over. But then again, she may not even be home. She may be waking up on someone’s couch after running the streets all fucking night. These women, her friends, I’ve never seen women run the streets like these do. They are literally always into some shit. Always. They’re like men, Lado. Only sexy as hell. She’s driving me crazy,” he said again.
    “She’s beautiful,” his friend shrugged. “She’s also making money for Ineffable and is poised, according to you, to make more. You like her. She seems to like you. She hasn’t even been in the press lately, at least not for anything bad. What’s the problem?”
    “The problem is I don’t understand her!” Nori roared. “She’s content to stay home for days,