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they did, it was beer. They had a few bottles of hard liquor for guests, but that’s it.”
    She looked over his collection of liquor. “You ended up with excellent taste.”
    “Don’t tell anyone, but I took a class. Okay. More than one. The year between NYU and law school, I learned about wine. That was interesting, and I liked the tasting part, so I took another class that included hard liquor.”
    “Very practical,” she said. “I imagine the knowledge has been especially useful in your line of work.”
    “If you count sounding like a pretentious ass useful.”
    She grinned. “I doubt you made a single mistake.”
    Stepping closer to her, he lifted his glass. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “Me, too.” She clinked her glass against his and lifted the snifter to her lips, figuring it was safe enough to take a sip now that some of the alcohol had evaporated. Not only was she wrong, but her sip went down the wrong way and sent her into a fit of coughing that doubled her over.
    Thankfully, Max didn’t pat her on the back. He just disappeared for a bit, and then took her cognac, replacing it with a glass of water.
    Finally, after a ridiculously long and painful time, the spasms stopped and she was able to breathe again. Naturally, she’d teared up and could only imagine the mascara damage. “Bathroom?” she croaked as she grabbed her purse from the counter.
    “Come on.” He touched her arm again, in that same spot behind her elbow. “I’ll show you.”
    She closed the bathroom door and leaned her head against it, afraid to look in the mirror. What the hell had she been thinking? Coming to his place had been a disaster waiting to happen, and they hadn’t even gotten to the naked part yet.
    For a minute there, it had felt right. More like her teenage dreams than her adult reality. But she’d maxed out her courage simply by meeting him at the restaurant, let alone coming here. To imagine doing more was absurd.
    It might be the chance of a lifetime, but if she died of stress in the middle of sex that would probably be a net loss.
    Pushing off from the door she braved the mirror. The bathroom was very cool and modern, like the rest of the loft. Tiny, of course, with just a toilet and sink. He must have an en suite by the bedroom.
    Well, she wouldn’t be finding out anytime soon. A tissue and some careful dabbing got rid of the mascara tracks. She added a fortifying coat of her Chanel Velvet Rouge but didn’t see the point of adding lip gloss. Then she practiced her exit line in the mirror, the way she always practiced giving speeches. Nothing clichéd because he’d been so nice, and she’d come willingly. Besides, she could afford to admit the truth. They’d never see each other again.
    They’d never see each other again.
    Her red-rimmed eyes widened as she thought about that. Even after the coughing debacle, she knew he wasn’t going to kick her out the door. He liked her. They’d connected in their odd way, and she was glad she’d met him. The one thing that might cause her regret, shockingly, would be quitting now.
    Clearly, Max Dorset had some smooth moves, which undoubtedly came from plenty of experience. He was an amazing man, and she imagined he could walk into any bar or club in town and find himself with a wealth of opportunities.
    One thing Natalie knew for sure was that the best way to learn anything was to find a teacher who was deeply passionate about the subject. Not that she knew for a fact that Max was a sex aficionado, but it was more than an educated guess. What might she learn from him?
    The woman in the mirror blushed, but so what? They’d never see each other again. It would mean getting naked, which would really give her something to blush about. If she let him see the travesty of her underwear. If not, that meant turning out the lights, which would be comforting in one way, but dammit, when would she ever be in bed with someone that handsome again? If she was going to do this